Exhibit 1
I took this picture from our bedroom. This is a view of the neighbor's cottonwood tree behind (but soon to be in) our backyard. You can't see it from the picture, but the branches are close to being over our fence. Anyone from here knows that these guys grow to be monsters. I'm particularly excited about this tree since it blocks their view of our bedroom and our view of their bedroom. Additionally, it's going to soon be visible from the front side of our house (it'll pop up behind our garage). As I mentioned, this tree will soon be partly our tree too, providing our backyard with some shade and landscaping without any effort on my part. Of course, in the fall this tree turns yellow which will make our house even more cozy.
The reason why this gets an honorable mention tonight is that I've been watching the very top of it the past few weeks waiting until it gets higher then the neighbor's roof from our vantage point. Each day it noticeably grew taller - no kidding - it appeared to grow about an inch or two a day. Wikipedia says that the cottonwoods can grow to between 60 to 120 feet tall and the entry has a cool picture of a mature cottonwood changing colors.
Exhibit 2
One of my happy little trees is turning brown at the top and losing its needles (far left one in the picture). After some observation and digging, I've come to the conclusion that this guy is getting TOO MUCH water. That's ironic in Colorado but we've had tons of rainfall this year. Part of the problem is that this tree sits in a bowl. So, any rain, any water from my sprinklers, or any water from my neighbor's sprinklers just sits on the root ball unlike the others where the water runs off. It's still salvageable, however. Building up dirt around the base won't help much since it's in a bowl...the dirt would just get wet too and level out. So the other day I decided to cut the water to this zone and monitor my neighbor's sprinklers. The funny part about the entire thing is that I think my neighbor's water will also be enough for my lawn too. I'll just let him water my lawn for me and I'll supplement my own water for the trees as needed. Even if I do lose this one tree I'm still doing awesome considering I planted 17 bushes this spring. Even 1 out of 17 is like 5 to 6 times better then the average (from what I hear). I got everything at Home Depot but I was also careful to select the best looking plants from the pallet.
Exhibit 3
Do you like my weed garden baby? I'm trying to grow weeds in my backyard this year. Actually, it's been a dirt pile since we bought the house and the plan has always been to finish the backyard next summer. The other day I looked out the back door and saw a bird perched on one of my weeds. Hence, the inclusion in my post. You know it's time to cut them down when you have birds ROOSTING your weeds!
Do you like my weed garden baby? I'm trying to grow weeds in my backyard this year. Actually, it's been a dirt pile since we bought the house and the plan has always been to finish the backyard next summer. The other day I looked out the back door and saw a bird perched on one of my weeds. Hence, the inclusion in my post. You know it's time to cut them down when you have birds ROOSTING your weeds!
