My Peach Tree

I planted my peach tree last spring to replace another peach tree that had died in the same location. This peach tree survived 18 months of neglect while I was in Iraq. It survived getting rain water that came down from the roof and was protected by the northwall of the house.

It did well last summer but somehow the main leader died over winter. I now have several foot-long shooters coming off the root ball and one such branch is now bearing two small immature peaches!

I cut down the dead leader which seems to have made the runners go stronger. I will leave this peach "bush" as is for a few years and then prune off the weaker branches. It's going to be a weird-looking tree but it wants to live and so I'll let it.

The fruitless mulberry tree that I transplanted from the front yard, growing in a not-so-ideal location under a pre-existing tree (which I will remove next summer as it's slowly dying). This little tree has already grown a foot this spring and now stands nearly three feet tall. This tree may be the one to replace the tree it grew under last year. As a mature tree it will provide excellent shade for birds and other plants.

I enjoy seeing my garden go into transition. But like any living garden, the dynamics change from year to year. In 20 years the front yard will mostly be a shady area, a place to relax and enjoy the mountain view from the Adirondack chairs.