While I was at work last week, Brett was very busy. One of the things he did was plant ten Giant Sequoia trees out by the front gate. Not that we'll live to see them to full maturity. Giant Sequoias can reach 350 feet in height -- and live to be 3,000 years old.
Why, you ask, did we plant trees we won't see in all their majesty? Partly because they are native to our area, but there aren't many left. There is a big (famous) grove of them in Yosemite -- the Mariposa grove. You know, the place where you could drive a car through one (before it fell). There are a few smaller stands of these redwoods between Yosemite and Georgetown, just north of us.
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| That's Camille and I standing in front of a smaller (ahem) one, a few years ago in Yosemite. |
Plus, they are drop dead gorgeous trees. They will grow two or three feet per year, after the first few years when they are busy stretching their roots into our soil and getting comfortable. The trees grow tall before they grow wide. So, we will get to enjoy them.
While Brett was planting the trees, some deer came onto the property. They are always hanging around outside the gate, but they usually only venture onto the property at night when we aren't outside. This time, they made themselves at home while Brett worked. At first, they jumped into the pasture with Lucy and Pistol. Lucy wasn't too thrilled about that and promptly chased the deer from one end to the other. Pistol watched.
Later, Brett was in the house and Kersey was resting on her bed on the front deck. Brett heard Kersey bark and looked up from what he was doing. Kersey only barks at deer and skunks. Then, Brett heard hooves clatter across the front porch.
I'd say those deer are getting pretty brazen. And, that is why we have wire cages around the trees. I love the deer -- and they love our plants.
I hope that coming back to work was not too much of a shock. I love planting trees even if I won't see them in their full maturity.
ReplyDeleteThe trees will look beautiful in no time. Our deer get pretty brazen once in a while too. We once had one eating the dried corn on a wreath hanging on the front door.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to see the horse chasing the deer
ReplyDeleteMe too. I can picture it though. Lucy is very territorial, opinionated and energetic. The deer didn't stand a chance.
DeleteHa ha ha! Queen Lucy, defending her kingdom! ;)
DeleteThat's pretty cool that the deer feel so comfortable. A nuisance, too, I can imagine. Those trees may grow pretty fast. My dad brought one of those huge pine cones up from CA when we moved to Idaho from there. He planted the seeds from the pine cone in front of our new house and actually had trees grow from them. I can't remember their name, but they were HUGE!! That was in 1984, and they've since had to cut them down because they encroached upon the house and the road, but they did get a lot of attention before they were removed.
ReplyDeleteThey may have been sugar pines. The trees are tall and beautiful and the pine cones are astronomical in size.
DeleteIt's nice that you are planting Giant Sequoias!
ReplyDeleteI often wondered if anyone is planting them anymore or if they will all die out in a few hundred years.
My uncle is really good about thinking ahead and planting trees for the future! I'm sure his grandkids will someday be grateful for that!