On Losing a Beloved Tree

My Crape Myrtle as she appeared in 2021

Until this past Christmas, my Crape Myrtle was a truly beautiful tree. She presided over the back yard, which sadly is mostly hidden from view by the storage room and carport. For many months, I felt I might have lost her. She simply did not take on leaves or begin to blossom as she usually did.

But, then . . .

Last month, she put on some blossoms. Not many, for so many of her branches died in the terrible freezing temperatures that swooped into the area at Christmastime. It would take a tree expert to find a way to cut out the dead branches. I'm not sure how much of my beloved tree would remain. Would it be worth paying someone to come in? I'm not sure.

Meanwhile, my husband wants to use that space for a workshop -- his retirement workshop

-- where he can set up a lathe and create works of art to sell at arts and crafts shows and possibly even online. He has suggested that we take down my beloved Crape Myrtle for his workshop but plant two more crape myrtles in the front yard. Is this a compromise I can make? No.

Having experienced some hard knocks of my own, I am very slow to give up on my ailing plants. Miss Hibiscus was three years old before she gave her first blossom, but it was well worth the wait to see and enjoy it. Miss Rosie despises hot weather and gives either no blossoms or much smaller ones during the hottest months of summer. But I don't want to replace her. She's here, she's mine, and I love her just as she is.

Miss Hibiscus (May 2023)

Miss Rosie (April 2023)

My Crape Myrtle will have her place in her spot in the garden for as long as she wants it. I hope she will continue to want it for a very long time.