I was going to post the picture I took (above) yesterday of this flowering tree in the back garden, because for about a week now I have been racking my brain trying to remember it's name. I planted that tree from a tiny twig - one of about 30 trees I got from the American Arbor Association when they were selling twig-sized flowering and fruit trees at a bargain price of 10 for $10. That was many years ago. I got three sets of 10 - or 30 trees - way back then (it had to be in or around the late 1980s because we bought this house in 1986 and I went nuts planting things for a few years after that.) I'd say that out of the 30 trees I got in the mail (none more than about 9 inches of a twig with a few spindly looking roots at the bottom), I have about 6 left growing in the gardens, front and back. One we had to take down last year which was so tall that it was taking over the back yard and was totally blocking our view out the breakfast room windows.

So, the purpose of this entry was to ask any of you, readers, if you knew the name of this tree. But I got anxious and went on Google and found that it is a DOGWOOD tree. Why I could not remember that name is beyond me, but I tend to forget lots of things lately, so I guess it's more of an "age-related" thing.



It's an off-white flowering Dogwood. I think this is the only dogwood I have left of all those trees I got in the mail. I have three Golden Raintree trees left and they are all doing fabulous. In fact, one is growing in the front garden and it had almost been killed one year I think by me hitting it accidentally with the lawn mower and breaking off the trunk, but I taped it back together and cared for it, and now it is recovering and, in fact, we need to prune it regularly because there are electrical/phone lines above it and we don't want it brushing against those in a big wind.




That's it, above, the one with many trunks at the top of the blue rock-garden plants (the name of which I can't recall now!!!) You see how it's reaching up into the wires above? This was taken last spring, at around this time of the year apparently because our pot-o-gold plants along the wall are just now beginning to bloom bright yellow again. I wish we could just hold this time of year for 12 months - I love the colours of the trees and flowers this time of the year.

Below you see at the end of the driveway area the 2 tree trunks, there was a 3rd one that we cut down to the right of that one in the middle.




I think of these trees as my children, since I've had no human ones of my own. I can't believe they've gone from that twig in a small envelope in the post to these wonderful tree-friends. If I had my way, I'd plant more all over the front garden, but Paul keeps my enthusiam tamped down on that front. He's the one who does the pruning, what little we do of it.

Anyway, I've remembered Dogwood now so I'm happy. It doesn't take much I guess! Maybe later this week I'll go out, if we get some nice sunny days, and get some more pictures of the Trees of Crow Cottage for you. I wish I had a better camera, but that's life.

Cheers and Happy Mother's Day!

Bex