Last year I wrote about a beautiful pine tree that my husband and I bought and with Dani and Chris's help planted in the backyard. (That after having the folks that check for gas lines and underground cables come by and paint different colored lines around our yard.) Well, when my husband had his knee surgery, the poor pine tree was neglected and by the time I realized my error, it was dead. By late fall I finally pulled it up and took it back to Lowe's. No questions asked, I got a refund. I didn't like the look of any of the trees that were left, so the spot was bare for a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I had found a volunteer twig growing under one of the grow boxes. When I pulled it up, I found an acorn at the bottom of the plant. Where the nut had come from was beyond me, but I put it in a pot and and watered it. Then after the pine died I decided to plant it in the vacant spot. Almost immediately, it shed its leaves. Poor little twig. We continued to pamper the bare 'nekkid' tree all winter.
About halfway through spring when I thought the oak was dead, too, and I was ready to dig it up, I saw tiny little leaves popping out on the twig. They grew large and the little sapling was holding its own. I suspect it will shed its leaves this year, too, but I won't worry about it like I did the previous year.
Will we live long enough to enjoy its shade? I doubt it, but someone will and that's what's important.
