Saturday, February 27, 2010

A Tribute to Dogwoods

Spring is such a glorious time of year.  I believe Lilac bushes and
Dogwood trees deserve a great deal of credit for that.
For years I gazed at those delicate blossoms as I washed dishes at the kitchen sink.  Every time I left the house I walked between them on my way to the car.  They greeted me each time I returned.
                               Those dogwoods put on a pretty spectacular show in the Fall as well.
When I got serious about the new studio/garage I checked out permits and such with City Hall.  I was informed I could not build the new structure directly on my property line along the alley where the old garage stood.  The overhang of the roof could reach the edge of the alley but not the wall of the new structure.  I was trying to squeeze out more square footage, not less, so I knew I would have to push the footprint into the yard.  That meant the dogwood trees could not stay where they were.
Although the trees were near the end of their normal life span, I could not give them up.  I decided relocating them to another part of the yard was the best option.
Because there was not a way to get anything mechanical into the yard,
 the digging and hefting had to be done by hand.
                                It was definately hard work and that was from my perspective as
                                                         the observer and photographer.
The concrete sidewalk ran between the two trees and along the south side of both of them which made digging around them an even tougher job.  Tree #2 was also right next to a sewer vent pipe.  It is a wonder these guys even took on the job.
Very bare, indeed.
                                             Now comes the replanting.
The first tree is wiggled into position.
My twin dogwoods were in the ground.  I hoped and prayed they would make it but it was soon apparent tree #1 was in shock.  Tree #2  struggled along in an attempt to recover.
                                      Unfortunatly neither of them survived the move.
But now I have a pink Dogwood tree and...
a white Dogwood to make Spring an event in my yard. (My neighbors generously provided the Red Bud for a nice backdrop.)