Japanese Maple
I have long admired Japanese Maple trees. The colors and frilly textures were so unusual for this expat Wisconsinite. With one huge exception. Japanese Maples are marginally hardy in Wisconsin. We had plenty of room at the farm, but also plenty of deer, so I could only admire them from afar.
In our neighbor’s front patio is a huge Maple, beautiful and frilly, and pouring over the top of the fence. I checked with her, and indeed it was planted right in the ground, which surprised me. Our soil here is amazing, in a negative way. It is black clay which is so sticky it’s difficult to shovel because it sticks to the shovel and won’t release even with banging it on the cement.
We are blessed to have Momijin Nursery nearby, with the largest selection of Japanese Maples in the Bay area. I purchased one in a 10 gallon container; it sat in our patio till I dug the hole. What a project. I ran into roots, cement, and unyielding soil. I used power tools (shovels, rakes, and implements of destruction).
I punched holes in the bottom with my steel bar and filled them with potting soil. The next step was to split the pot in two. The tree was so heavy it took both of us to move it. I loosened the roots which were abutting the sides of the pot so they wouldn’t grow in a circle.
We lifted the tree and dropped it in the hole….perfect fit. Tamped in some potting soil around the edges and we were done. It looks just like we had hoped; directly outside our living room window. We can visualize putting on Christmas lights when it has grown more.
As we were putting away the tools we felt the first drops of rain. Since that time we are having quite a storm with thunder and lightning. I think the tree is loving it.
Well, that was something to do during our quarantine. No idea what tomorrow will bring. Did y’all have a project, such as replacing your shelf paper, alphabetizing the spice jars, or dusting the tops of the doors? Seriously, how is everyone doing this evening?
Well, this is a huge storm. I’ll schedule this diary and hope we don’t lose power.