trees, burr Oak etc

[Jacqueline Davidson]

I have germinated one catalpa seed and it is doing well though only about 3 inches tall. (new house for us) One acorn from an oak in the front of some kind germinated but I put it in the sun and it was not happy so I have brought it back into the sun room, a room with southern exposure. The "burr Oak acorns" do not look like the picture I have found. The acorns are large and round, and the hoods cover at least 3/4 of the acorn. I have two hazel nuts to plant, a live oak acorn, and two chinaberry tree seeds to work with. We have a back with no trees, a front with very tall oaks, hickory, and unknowns. I want to put trees in the back. Being 74 I doubt tht I will see much of the growing trees, and we plan to plant some tall ones from the nursery too. But I thought it would be fun to get these seeds I have to germinate. I thank everyone for your comments. Jackie, zone 7.

[David E. Ross]

Being 74 is no reason not to plant a tree. In Judaism, there is a tradition of planting olive trees, which are slow to mature, so that your grandchildren might enjoy harvesting the fruit.

I'm 66 and planted grape vines this year. They won't produce a crop for about three years. They are planted on a slope so steep that I might not be able to climb and harvest the grapes then. I hurt all over now from climbing the slope to pull weeds. But someday, someone else will enjoy my grapes.