By Kevin Pride. Thanks to Mother Nature’s generosity, trees, shrubs, vines and grass are flush with foliage. Literally all of them. Not exactly the most fire choice. And yes, there are plenty of flowers popping off right now. But low-key, it’s trees, shrubs, vines and grass that have that main character energy and I’m here for it.
You may have heard the corny boomer (me) saying “first they sleep, then they creep, then they leap.” Which essentially means that for the first year after planting, trees ‘sleep’ as they recover from transplant shock. The second year, the roots creep out from the root ball. The third year, they ‘leap’ meaning there’s noticeable growth on their branches and leaves.
Well, this year, the trees I’ve planted seemed to skip the sleep and creep and went straight to leap!
So, what should you do? Nothing. Before you start trimming trees for literally no reason, just chill and let them cook. Everything is fluffy as heck! So go out and touch grass.
Kevin Pride is a SAWS Conservation Field Investigator and a self-proclaimed nature boy. He has a background in restoration ecology and is zealous about native plant landscapes that use zero irrigation. Kevin spends his free time deep underground surveying caves or hiking barefoot with his daughter, Daisy, and their dog.