A Pair of Redbuds Planted - One Snapped, One Not-Snapped - Spring 2020

A couple of weeks ago, we had a tree arrive on our front porch from an online nursery that had what appeared to be a challenging trip via FedEx and when I opened the box, it looked like this:

Snapped in half.  Womp Womp.

It was a Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud - which Monrovia describes as:

Rosy lavender-pink flowers completely cover bare, slightly contorted, weeping branches in early spring. This truly unique selection can develop a beautiful umbrella of cascading branches covered in heart-shaped leaves if trained when young. A captivating small specimen tree for a focal point in a shrub border or entryway. Deciduous.

Back in Elmhurst, our neighbors to the north had a big, beautiful Redbud that put on quite a late Spring show with the purple flowers.  And I remember planting one of own - a small one - in our old backyard, but I don't think I posted about it.  

One of the kids wanted to get a RedBud as one of their Earth Day trees, but due to the whole COVD-19 thing, shipping dates/delivery dates were impacted.  This tree didn't show up until a couple of days after Earth Day.  

I reached out to the nursery and sent them some photos of the decapitated tree and they sent me a new one.  That, too, took extra time.  But, it eventually arrived near the end of May.  

I kept the cut-off one and figured that it couldn't hurt to plant it and see what would happen.  I stuck it on the southside of the rear yard, behind the Oak tree.   I didn't prune off the top part that was hanging buy some bark and just stuck it in the ground.  It looked pretty sad. 

But after a couple of weeks, I saw some life in the tree.  You can see a little leaf bud coming out of one of the nodes in the lower part of the tree.  I know that this is likely the tree gasping for breath, but could it throw up enough leaves to establish itself this year?  I have no idea, but I'll watch it and water it just like the replacement on.

Which...speaking of...here (below) is the second weeping Redbud that we planted last week.  It is located about 15 feet to the East of the snapped-off brother.

Closer look at the tag for the tree:

I'm pretty sure this was a bareroot tree that was brought to life recently as when I unpacked it, there weren't a ton of 'fine' roots and it was packed in a burlap 'bundle'.  I ended up trimming that burlap bundle a bit and sticking it with the burlap intact.

A couple of days later, it is showing not a ton of transplant stress, so we'll see how it fares this Summer.

I'm counting both of these plantings in my "history of trees" on our property, here's the full list details.  These is tree #47 and #48 planted on our lot since we moved in.  (For now...) 42 of those trees still alive.  48 trees over 4 years =  12 trees planted on average per year - up from 11.6 on last post.  This is the 12th and 13th tree of this season, so I'm right *above* the average right now, but there are a few more trees to go in this 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 (9 planted.  1 confirmed dead.  2 troubled. 8 of the annual still alive.):

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.  A NEW Dwarf Alberta Spruce planted near the south fence line.  Our first "dwarf" tree.
35.  This new Hakuro Nishiki Willow (Dappled Willow) tree planted close to the flowering cherry on the southside.  

2020 (So Far) (13 planted and alive):

36.  A small Chanticleer flowering pear on Earth Day 2020 outside our screened porch.

37.  A very thin Lombardy Poplar tree - columnar form - in the way back wood chip area.
38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.  These apple trees in a Belgian Fence espalier.
46.  A small Northern Red Oak tree - our first Oak tree planted.
47.  A 'decapitated' Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud that I planted on a whim.
48.  A replacement (from the nursery) Lavender Twist Redbud planted close to the brother.