On my walkabouts the last couple of days I was able to finally take some pictures of flowers.  The sun hasn’t been out and the pictures are kind of gray but it least it is a glimpse of colour.  The pictures don’t do the colours justice.  The bright green of the new leaves coming out just isn’t captured.  There is a picture of the green maple leaves that are just so bright it drew my eye.  I noticed the Crab-apple blooms are ready to pop and there should lots of pink out there next week.  With everything moving around here I found another bunch of Magnolias with bright pink buds.  Our trees are beginning pile up in various parts of the yard and we should start moving them next week.  Right now it is dig, dig, dig.  I noticed some of our Japanese maples took a beating this winter as well as some of our yews but I know we aren’t the only ones.  The baby robins are doing well – I took a picture but stood far away ad zoomed in but you can’t really see them.  I also put a picture in about 10′ – 12′ white Cedars, we are getting a lot of calls regarding privacy issues, so I thought I throw in a picture.

Lilac Flower

Espalier Apple

Weeping Peashrub

Beech Leaves

Serviceberry Tree Form

Ornamental Pear

Baby Robins

Rain is good.  It is good for the plants and it greens the grass.  But for us – it makes muck.  And it makes for machines to get stuck in that muck. And it makes my white dog Monty brown and smelling like wet dog.  Eeewh.  But things are blooming and spring is trying to come out.  The trees are about 3 weeks behind.  I was tagging a Weeping Nootka Cypress tree with a customer the other day and as I was putting the ribbon on we spotted a nest with beautiful blue eggs in it.  They have since hatched but I have yet to get a picture of the babies…momma bird is a little protective.   The digging goes on and next week we start planting.  Looks like a lot of the Maples have been dug.  We dug a large 60 foot Beech tree the other day (I have yet to download the pictures), and trucked it down the road to our new location.  It is always remarkable to see those big trees in the air. The Magnolias are blooming now and I have started documenting the move…here are a few pictures from last week and I will get some more downloaded from this week.

Robin’s Eggs in the Weeping Nootka Cypress

Freshly dug Freemannii Maples

Paperbark Maples freshly dug and ready to be moved

Rows of Magnolias ready to be moved

Another view of Magnolias

Leonard Messel magnoia

The bright yellow plumage of the Weeping Willow

And the digging continues

I finally am able to start finding plants that are beginning to show signs of spring.  Today has been the first time this year that I have been able to walk the nursery without being cold.  My dog Monty joined me and was as happy as could be, his nose was going a mile a minute!  He is an old guy and it is just nice to see him with spring fever. The fields are still mucky and I did get my buggy stuck once but managed to get out without being pushed.  I was trying to get some pictures of the yellow Magnolias for a customer (they are not in bloom yet).  But some of the Saucer magnolias are opening.  Today was just taking pictures of everything that is trying to bloom.  As the weeks progress there will be too much to take pictures of!  We are very busy still digging and I think all of my blogs will have something about the move in it.  It is just such a huge undertaking to move all these trees within a 2 month window and it is exciting and scary at the same time.  It is exciting to draw the site plan of our new location and envision what it will be like – after 30 years at this location it will be very different.

So – below are some pictures of the spring trying to happen.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice as well and perhaps  I will see some more plant action in some different parts of the yard!

Japanese Maple coming into leaf.

Espalier Apple pushing bloom!

Middle field is dug and Monty sniffing!

Front field of Gingkos are dug

Middle field of large Crabapples are dug

Lilac buds beginning to open.

The emergence of Japanese Maple leaves.

Yes – we  are at the final stages of moving.  So I will be documenting the sequence of the event in many parts.  Our large coverall has come down which we really miss, the place looks a little weird without it.  But the important part – is digging the trees.  The weather hasn’t been on our side either – wet – which makes muck.  On the good side of things, it has been cool so we able to dig many trees while they are still dormant which is very important.  We are in the fields digging rows upon rows of trees, section by section.  The Cedars are dug in the front field as well as the Gingkos.   We have dug Beech trees, Hydrangea Stds, Crabapples and Crimson King Maples – all in all over 1000 trees.  Below are a few pictures of the what we are digging.  it is hard to get around because of the mud – we got stuck a few times, and it was a gray day.  But hey, I have got to start documenting this huge undertaking sometime.

I am getting lots of calls from people who have lost their trees.  It is amazing to find out how many people are so attached to their trees.  As a person in the industry, who loves trees, I find it heartwarming to hear this.  Trees are important to us – not only environmentally but emotionally as well.  Not to mention they add value to many properties, which is why people are looking for large trees on the property when purchasing new homes.

The beginning – digging trees

Digging trees at the front

Digging trees in the mud

Rows upon rowsof trees

Ready to be moved

More trees…