On the Coteau Valley Farm, it is tree planting season. There is a popular saying in the nursery world: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Planting a tree is really a forward-looking project. We can enjoy the tree the moment we plant it, but it will be years before the tree will be seen in its full glory. The older you get, the more you realize you may never enjoy this, but still planting a tree is worth it. This is because, when you plant a tree it is not just about you, but about everyone and everything that will look upon its branches and leaves. The children, the birds, the squirrels, the bees, and even our cats who like to climb the trees. Their leaves produce oxygen, their roots filter the groundwater, and their large canopies create shade. In the winter, the evergreens provide color against the white snow-covered backdrop. All in all a tree is one of the best additions you can add to your property, whether it's a city lot or acreage like here on the farm.
This year on the Coteau Valley Farm, we are adding a lot of trees. We added a large Mountain Ash, which is a beautiful tree that has white flowers in the spring, pleasant green leaves, and produces bright orange berries. The nice thing about the berries is that they stay on the tree throughout the winter. In late winter and early spring, the birds find a tree full of yummy dried berries waiting for them. I once saw a flock of hungry robins devour a whole tree of berries in a few hours. We also planted a large Prairie Fire Crabapple. This is a beautiful flowering tree that produces red flowers in the Spring. The leaves have almost a purple color to them, sort of like a flowering plum tree. Again, the small crabapples provide a hardy meal to the birds that stay through the winter.
While it would be nice to plant only big trees, they are cost prohibitive, so we planted a number of smaller trees as well. Some are just plugs (small seedlings) that we will put in pots for a while as they grow bigger. These coniferous trees include Colorado Spruce, Norway Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, Meyer Spruce, and Eastern Red Cedar. Right now, they are sitting on the deck, basking in the daytime sun, and growing, dare I say like weeds. On the deciduous side, we planted a number of dry root trees. Surprisingly they are also growing well. One of the trees we planted is the majestic cottonwood. These large trees are all over the countryside here on the Coteau Prairie. They can grow over 100 feet tall and 100 feet wide. Right now they are only about 5 feet tall. In 100 years when someone looks at the majestic trees will they wonder how the trees got there? Some of the other deciduous trees that we planted include the Golden Willow, Silver Maple, American Linden, Hackberry, River Birch, Red Splendor Crabapple, and Amur Maple.
One of the trees that surprised us this year was a humble apple tree. Last year it did not produce any apples, and so we wondered if something was wrong. We have two apple trees, and they are close together, so the bees should be able to pollinate the trees well. Would this year be a repeat of the last? I just happened to look at the tree, and low and behold it is covered with small apples (see the picture above). Now, if they can survive the summer storms, and wind, and the hungry deer we might get to enjoy a nice crunchy apple.
Planting trees is a delightful, and somewhat humbling experience. While you will immediately enjoy its beauty, the full effect is a gift to the next generation. So, I encourage everyone to get out there and plant a tree. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Coteau des Prairies
South Dakota Hobby Farm
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