THE TREE #5

This is the fifth posting in the series “THE TREE” which follows the life of a special Honey Locust tree in the Gardens at Waters East.  If you have not read the first posting, it might be most helpful for you to do that.  Go to the archives in this Blog and check out the posting – Beginnings - found on March 7, 2014.  Reading this short introduction will put this tree, this posting, and future postings in proper perspective.  It will be helpful.

Let it be known that the Honey Locus has finally “leafed-out”.  Here we are now in July and after many months of “just sitting there” the tree has managed to look like the summer is here.  It has been along time.  If you review the past postings you will see how slowly and how long it has taken to get to the present “look” for this locust.  When I picked this tree to be THE TREE to follow, I had forgotten just how long it takes to get to this point in development.  Finally!

 Four weeks ago

Two weeks ago

Today

Here are a few more “factoids” about this tree.

The new foliage starts out yellow, then morphs to a still attractive green – yellow shade  -  a “spring-foliage season”, before assuming a more common light shade of green for the summer.  Then in fall the leaves return more to the color yellow.  Because of these changes, it is a good tree for seasonal contrast in the garden.

A couple of the regular visitors to THE TREE

 I had no idea that a ground hog could climb a tree.

He got away from THE TREE before I could get my camera,

but I caught him in the smaller tree next to it.

Eating the new leaves on both!!

Here he is poking his head out of his hole yesterday at the base of THE TREE

Not only the tree, but the plant life around the base has developed nicely since the last posting.  Now it gives "shadows" and shade to the hosta below.

As you can see, there is also more “good news”.  At the base area of THE TREE is a new sculpture created by a visiting Guatemalan artist – Rivera.  He created it on July 4^th. using stones from StoneWater Beach (the private beach of Gardens at Waters East).  In a posting soon to be published, the whole process of collecting and creating this sculpture by Rivera will be shown.

Hope you enjoy your visit to THE TREE

If you wish to look at other blogs from around the world which are doing similar monthly tree postings.  click on:   http://looseandleafy.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-is-tree-following-and-list-of-tree.html

NOTE:   Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;

no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.

What is posted – is what it here.  It is what it is.

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