“I think that I may never see something as lovely as a tree.”
Truly, there is nothing more lovely and majestic than an old tree. Take my tree, for instance. If you’ve read my flower blog, you’ve probably heard me go on and on about my beloved 300 year old Live Oak. I loved this tree so much that I bought the ratty, gross house that was suffocating the tree and tore the place down. Just to save that old tree. You just can’t snap your fingers and grow a old tree. Trees like this are more valuable than gold. In fact, if you really want to do something that matters tomorrow, plant a tree.
When my children were little, I read a lot of books about trees. One of my favorite books was called “Trees are Nice”, from the 1950’s. It chronicles all the wonderful aspects of an old tree, from housing birds to children climbing trees. The book ends with a small boy planting his own tree, teaching the reader how to plant a tree, and encouraging others to do the same.
So much of our world is centered around the techno-world, that we forget that trees are life…..trees literally breathe in carbon and exhale oxygen. There is really nothing more valuable. If we truly want to eliminate our own “carbon footprint”, we should all be planting trees. I’ve often wondered why the climate change movement hasn’t been more zealous on planting new trees and saving our old trees. The massive obsession with recycling, which is unfortunately obsolete now, is the main narrative that most children have been taught….but what about a tree? Most people aren’t aware of the direct links in raising temperatures as the rainforest is cut down. Fewer trees breathe in carbon, and fewer trees exhale oxygen. Planting a tree is a simple way we can all make a difference for tomorrow.
Trees are nice…..but even more that that, trees are vital. What you do today, matters tomorrow.
This weekend, I will be planting a beautiful native Red Oak. This tree is a house-warming gift from a violin student, and is my first tree at the new house. A Red Oak will fit in perfectly with the beautiful Live Oaks. Perhaps this weekend will be your time to play in the garden as well. Or heck, maybe plant a tree! Remember, “planting a garden (or a tree) is to believe in tomorrow.”
Happy Gardening, my friends!