Wild on Wild

Photo courtesy Flickr

Shifting the garden toward native species has yielded some surprises. About fifteen years ago, a third-generation arborist suggested I plant a few vine maples along the south fence. They would shade the front garden during the, so to speak, hot months of a Seattle summer and served as a gentle wind break during the off season.

I filed the project away as a possibility and got on with the endless routine of daily life, replacing imported plants with natives to reduce maintenance and give the local wildlife a break. Yesterday I patrolled the front garden with hand pruners, a simple routine that allows me to mow and dispose of garden waste at the same time.

To my surprise, I found three maple seedlings growing exactly where the arborist had recommended. Is that guy good or what? I marked them with sticks and will wait a while to learn whether they are understory vine maples or herky big-leaf maples. At that point, it will be time to decide whether I want several graceful landscape accents or the hassle of coppicing major trees for cooking fuel.

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