The Trees in My Garden

A Tale of Earliest Tree Planting in the Garden

It was a blank slate: a bare back yard waiting for its destiny. Facing south, the full Texas sun moved across the big sky all day long. One fairly small Cedar Elm that might’ve shaded a squirrel or two and a half-dead Chinkapin Oak were the only trees. Then came the patio.

The patio was a big slab of concrete that absorbed heat. The pergola with open slats didn’t help at all. I needed shade, and it couldn’t come fast enough. The sooner I planted some trees, the better.  Shade and privacy were necessary for the prayerful setting I envisioned. I considered ways to create the edges of my sanctuary to camouflage the view of roofs. I wished to no avail that I backed up to a greenbelt. I imagined a beautiful privacy fence with tall metal structures covered with vines. Trees and shrubs were my best option. I had to be patient.

An ad for cheap trees a few miles away lured me to drive over and take a look. A limited selection of sad looking specimens wasn't what I hoped for, but the price was right. A three-pronged stick with a tiny leaf labeled “Chinese Pistache” caught my eye. I had read it was a good choice for my area, so, for only $20, I claimed it. I bought a few more stick-plants that were simply labeled “crape myrtle” for $5 each. That was risky, because there are so many varieties. I didn’t know what color or size they would be.

Chinese Pistache after a year or two.

With my little treasures all in a row, I studied the back yard for the most strategic place to plant them. I didn’t know if the crape myrtles would be tall enough for shade, so I planted them on the side of the house. One happened to land in a good spot for its size. It’s a tall, narrow variety, still growing to gargantuan heights with lovely lavender flowers.

I strategically chose the spot for the Chinese Pistache to eventually provide shade near the patio. I paid someone to plant it because digging a hole bigger than a football in my rocky clay soil is not easy. Afterwards, I stood back and stared.  “Why did I do that? That was the wrong spot!” I paid him to move it a few yards over.  Later, I realized it was in the right spot the first time. (Sometimes I over-think!) Now, that it’s grown, it’s perfect where it is.

Over time as resources allowed, I added more. After much research and thought, I planted three fast-growing native wax myrtles along the fence. Later, I added a tall narrow conifer, a Blue Ice Arizona Cypress, a Viburnum, Anacacho Orchid, and Texas Mountain Laurel, placed in various locations. I was enticed by the beautiful early blooms of a Texas Redbud and squeezed one in. I planted one tall Natchez crape myrtle in the corner. Finally, a Monterey Oak maxed out the space for trees/large shrubs.

The trees in my garden have been prayed over to grow fast, to be healed when sick, and to be the right choice for what God wants the garden to be. These trees define my garden. Once planted, they become a permanent part of the landscape and impact everything else.

The trees remind me of major decisions and landmarks in my life. Choices and events sometimes out of my control have determined my life path to a large degree and now form the structure I’ve built my life around--that’s what I’ve had to work with.

Some life decisions were made in ignorance, poverty, sickness, desperation, or out of necessity. I would have made different choices had I known what I know now. So it is with my trees: Cedar Elm (which came with the house) drops zillions of seed pods, small leaves and branch tips; the oak’s acorns sprout all over the yard; the wax myrtles were never dense enough, even before they died; the two conifers I loved didn’t thrive; and the viburnum never flowered. I don't know why, it just happens.

Chinese Pistache 8 years later

The result of imperfect decisions can be messy, but messiness and imperfection are perfect opportunities for God to reveal his faithfulness and love. He has woven my mess-ups into the fabric of my life and made them an integral part of who I am. The Chinese Pistache that looked like a stick is now a beautiful shade tree. Despite my stumbling efforts, the garden is coming along, and so am I.