Dwarf Alberta Spruce - Planted 2019

This marks the eighth tree that I've added to our backyard this season - and all eight of them (so far) have been conifers.  This one being a Dwarf Alberta Spruce tree.  The most recent tree that I planted was this Weeping White Spruce tree earlier this month.    Those of you who have kept up with things around here, you may remember that #8 on my to-do list for the season was to plant some conifers.  

These eight trees are all small (tiny Hemlocks, especially!), but this is the first "dwarf" tree in the yard.   But, all of them are conifers.  This one was picked out by the Bird for her "Earth Day Tree" this year, but it took us more than a month to get into the ground.    And it is planted right adjacent to last year's tree that she planted - a Chanticleer Pear flowering tree.  

So, eight conifer trees.  Plus three conifer shrubs - when we added these Gold Cone Junipers to the other side of the property.  Just yesterday, I showed off the bright gold needles that these are throwing off right now.  Alas, this Spruce isn't going to change color like those.    11 total conifers added with one remaining from last year (the Weeping Cedar that had some trouble this year) makes 9 trees and 3 shrubs.  See below for the full list, but this one makes 34 total trees with 29 'alive'.  9 out of 29 = 31% of the trees being conifers brings the percentages way up year-over-year.  When we ended last season, we had 26 trees planted with 21 remaining.  1 conifer out of 21 = a little under 5% of the trees were conifers. 

(But...I should note that we have two deciduous conifers.  The Dawn Redwood and the Bald Cypress in the front.  If we count those, we're up to 11 out of 29 total.   That's 38% of the total.)

Back to this tree - the Dwarf Albert Spruce.  Picea Blanca Enana.  This one was bought from - you guessed it - Menards.  I've resisted this tree for a few years, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember my Busia (my Mom's mom) had these trees in her landscape.  That makes me smile to think we have one now, too.

Here's the tag for this tree below and you can see at the very top, it reads: [Evergreen Tree].  Not a shrub.  So, this one counts in the list below.

Here's the full list of trees that we've put into the yard since we bought the property in 2016 and moved in during the Summer of 2017.  34 trees planted.  29 trees currently alive and adding to our landscape.  I mentioned a few days ago that the Weeping Cherry Tree from 2018 is not doing well.  The "LOST" column is likely to grow this season, unfortunately.   34 trees over three seasons.  11.333 trees per season average.  Right now, we're *under* the average, but close to what we put in the first season.  

2017 (9 planted. 3 Died. 6 of the original annual total alive now):
1. Flowering Pear in backyard on north side.
2. Flowering Pear in front yard by garage. (LOST and replaced)
3. Japanese flowering cherry
4 and 5: 2 Lindens that I espalier'd and placed by the south fence line near our kitchen windows.
6. A Dawn Redwood from Earth Day 2017 (LOST and replaced)
7. Nat's Saucer Magnolia in our front yard
8. A Corkscrew Willow all the way in the back (LOST)
9. A Crimson King Norway Maple near the trampoline

2018 (17 planted. 2 Died and weren't replaced yet. 2 were replacement from 2017. 15 of the original annual total alive now):
10. Another flowering pear from Earth Day 2018
11. Red Maple Sun Valley tree from Earth Day 2018.
12. Weeping Cedar tree - our first evergreen.
13. The weeping flowering cherry tree that the Babe planted for Earth Day 2018.
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. These Frans Fontaine Hornbeams. 
22. A replacement Chanticleer Pear tree (3" caliper) out front by our garage
23. Our second evergreen - a short Fraser Fir Christmas Tree out by the trampoline. (LOST)
24. This Canadian Hemlock that is the first of nine that our landscape plan calls for in the backyard. (LOST)
25. Our replanted/replacement Dawn Redwood. Same spot as the first.
26. This teeny-tiny Bald Cypress that I planted in the front yard, in between our driveway and our neighbor to the north.

2019 (So Far):

27, 28, 29.  A set of three small Canadian Hemlock Trees in our far backyard. 

30, 31, 32.  This second set of three small Canadian Hemlocks along the north fence line.
33.  My new Weeping White Spruce that will only grow about 4' wide placed near the fence line alongside the espalier'd Lindens.
34.  This Dwarf Alberta Spruce planted near the south fence line.