When I moved into this house about a year ago there was a nice maple tree in the front yard, probably less than five years old. Unfortunately, it looks like somebody lacerated the base of the tree with a weed eater or lawn mower. The tree had new leaves this year, but didn't make it through the summer. We finally decided that it was officially dead and removed it.

I got a new maple tree which my mom had been saving at her house. I got the tree shortly before I went to Orlando for a week. Now that I'm back, I finally got a chance to plant it. I waited for an overcast day and followed the instructions from Ellen on ThriftyFun.

ThriftyFun - A Guide to Planting Trees

My front yard is divided into two large bunkers. The right side is only about half as large as the left side. I planted the tree in the smaller section centered and several feet back from the road. I put a concrete ring around the tree to protect its trunk.

Since the tree is in front of the house we selected a variety that should only grow to five or six feet high. I am going to give the tree a year or two to adjust to the new soil and get established before I start pruning it.

The next step is to plant some roses which we have in pots on the front porch on either side of the tree. I also have some tulip bulbs which I will probably plant between the tree and the road, but they won't bloom until next spring.

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I had to take a week off from working on the yard for my trip to Orlando, but I'm back and getting ready to start some more ambitious projects.

I bought a house about a year ago and haven't done much more with the yard up until now than mowing and trying to battle some blackberries and morning glory. I have also removed a couple trees which were dead or which I plan on replacing.

Over the last couple weeks i've been working on weeding the front lawn. I don't believe in using chemicals so I've been taking out the dandelions with a weed puller. It's fascinating to see the lawn from a ground's eye view. There are a lot of interesting plants growing in it including mare's tail, two kinds of dandelions, a few thistles, chamomile, and lots of plants I can't identify. I also found a small ant colony over on one side.

The weeding has left some bare patches so I bought some grass seed and starter fertalizer. Yesterday I put down some seeds and fertalizer in part of the yard. Now, I need to be conscientious about watering so that the seed can take root. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

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