Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeam Trees: 750 Days Difference

Those are four of our eight Carpinus betulus Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeam trees as they looked 750 days ago.  This was right after they were planted in the end of May 2018.  There is a lot to notice in this photo besides the trees.  The cedar fence was still showing some signs of brown in the color.  The mulch is, umm, perfect.  The grass next to the trees seems pretty stressed due to the planting.  Also, at the left of the photo, you can barely make out a tree with a TreeGator watering bag around the trunk.  As for the trees?  Well...they look pretty far spaced apart.

This, below, is what these same four (plus the Chanticleer Pear on the left) look like today.

There are plenty of things to pick up on in the latest photo, too.  The trees have filled out and are wider and thicker.  They've grown taller, but hard to say how much.  The hostas at their base are all new - compared to their planting day in 2018. 

And for an even more nuanced view, here's the 'in between' photo - from 2019.  That is one year and two weeks ago and I think tells me that quite a bit of the growth was put on from last Summer to today. 

Three year cycles is supposed to be sleep, creep, leap.
2018 = sleep
2019 = creep
That means:  2020 = leap. 

We'll see.