trees, glorious trees!

So Mr. House has a whole plan for our backyard landscaping. It was one of the first things that he thought about and planned. We have a very thorough plant blueprint drawn and ready to be put into action. The thing we started realizing was - plants are expensive and very time consuming - the type of project we don't really need more of right now. The problem is that our backyard is not exactly a private oasis. It will take much time to get it to where we want it to be.

So with all these factors in mind (plus the fact that the window for planting is beginning to close or so I am told) we went out and bought two fruit trees last weekend from Capital Nursery. We went out on a hot day and scoured their many rows and rows of plants. We ended up buying a White Nectarine and a Black Fig. The nectarine is about a 7 or 8 foot beauty with many fruits beginning to grow already (that sadly had to be picked off in order for it to take root). The fig was a hearty 4 feet with a few good looking leaves. Luckily for us we brought the van, otherwise I don't know how we would have gotten them home. Here is Mr. House with the tree stretching all the way from the back to the very front.

After we got home we took a look at our backyard and roughly decided where they should go. Here is a picture looking to the right and then the left from the back porch.

Now you know what we have to work with. I would love to post the plant map that Mr. House drew now, BUT we don't have our scanner up yet so that will have to wait. Next Mr. House dug a big hole while I attempted to pull weeds and hoe the ground in that back planting bed.

Mr. House worked hard diggin that hole! Here he is taking a much needed break sittin in his hole.

The reason why Mr. House dug the hole so deep and big was to A. add fortified dirt around the roots and B. implant a drainage pipe so as to better water the tree. We put the pipe in its place and then filled it with rocks from our front flower beds for drainage.

Here is Mr. House with the tree all ready to move into its new home!



After we filled in with dirt and mulch on top, Mr. House secured it to stakes with spare painters rags (hey it's what we have on hand!) and I supervised.


There was this cement strip that separates that far bed from the rest of the grass that was kind of awkward, so we decided to use those wavy brick trim pieces all along the cement and build up the bed by a few inches. We have a bunch of the brick things in the yard, I think enough to finish the whole span along the fence. I think it creates a much needed definition between the two spaces. So here is the finished product with just a part of what the new wall will look like.

It got dark before we had time to plant the fig so we planted that the next day. Now we need to find one more tree, perhaps a plum tree, to go along the back fence.