I bought this honey locust from the Nevada State nursery. Their mission was to populate bird habitats and so plants are sold in units of five and in milk cartons. This tree had come a long way from a milk carton.
We have been here now eight years this month and that nursery sampler is now a tree here and is a substantial player in the yard. The pine, if you can identify it, was a gallon sale at Home Depot a couple years ago.
These are the cotton-wood trees that we bought from the State nursery, all sticks in buttermilk cartons. It's been so hard to make a place that says "bird sanctuary" to the birds, but we've done it, through an elaborate Rube Goldberg of a drip system.
We keep working on our yard, which is artificial here in the desert but it's our yard and we enjoy it and we enjoy the birds that are attracted. Yes, against advice otherwise, we feed them.
Our skinny little aspens have become a home for a hammock. Lexie was excited to show how she could get in and out by herself and also push.
As for the cookies, there were a success, wouldn't you say?
6 comments:
Wow, it certainly has all matured. Those were tiny little trees you started with there! Which ones do you think have done the best? We need to plant some trees and I am loath to plant more firs/pines. We have plenty.
We also need to find a low growing ground cover/grass for some areas around the house. Looks like someone else is growing like a weed too. ;)
The cookies look delicious.
Isn't it grand watching the trees grow each year? That's a favorite thing to do at our house, especially when you've planted them when they were very small. I know what you mean about bird watching. I can't imagine not feeding them! I didn't realize where you lived when I made the grass comment a couple of posts ago! You must have laughed about that one, since you live in a desert area :-)
We've got pines to spare and so many trees ringing our little square of land that I'd love to take a few out! Though when the cold winter winds blow, they do give good shelter to the birds. Never having been to the desert though, I can hardly imagine not having to mow a lawn at least once a week or that lush green that surrounds us for our short summer.
Your trees though, look spectacular in that rugged backdrop. You've obviously got them well situated and well tended. Imagine them in a few more years when they'll be huge!
8 years, wow. What a difference the trees and plantings make. Bird sanctuary definitely.
I am curious, why are you advised NOT to feed the birds?
Very pretty cookies. Lexie did a very good job decorating. I can smell them from here.
I wish I could ship you some locust trees. They are weeds around my place! :)
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