Improper tree planting and refinishing the driveway

I got up and rode my bicycle most of the way to White Pine before starting any projects this morning.  It was sprinkling and cool, but I was sweating from exertion.  I saw a robin, magpie, and raven and I heard a meadowlark but could not see it.  Riding next to Fremont lake reminds me of when my brother swam the nine mile length a few years ago.  Jackson, Fremont, and Sacagawea peaks are the first three distinct peaks from right to left in the picture below.  The short ride this morning was a very enjoyable part of my break from city life.

Fremont Lake from the overlook.

After returning, I started prepping some holes for trees my mother would like me to plant.  She decided she would like to put them in place of a couple of trees that had died several years ago because irrigation is already installed for them.  Unfortunately, digging up the old trees revealed that the wire baskets originally containing them had not been removed before planting.  This is a terrible mistake in planting which can cause a tree to girdle itself or become root bound.  Either of these will eventually kill the tree.  Unfortunately I have seen many examples of this as well as girdling due to staking wire, fence wire, and nylon rope.  My mother recalled the landscaper so I called them and left a message explaining the problem, but they have not called me back.  Though they were planted over a decade ago, this was a very expensive and heartbreaking mistake.  I hope the other thriving trees planted at the same time don't face their eventual demise due to the same oversight.  If I don't hear back from the landscaper in a timely manner, we will drop the matter and I will pull up the old trees and wire prior to properly planting new ones. 

Tree stump and wire basket circled in red

We will be planting P. angustifolia (narrow leaf poplars) around the property.  Though there are a wealth of conifers growing in this region, there are few deciduous and most of them, at least by total number of trees,  belong to the genus Populus (like cottonwoods and aspens).  The willow trees that grow here look quite similar to the narrow leaf poplar and may be an example of convergent evolution to live in such a high, dry, and cold environment.


Mom taking a break from raking

Lilly spreading out the load

The driveway to the house had developed a dip that was accumulating water, and the driveway itself was frequently getting muddy.  My mother ordered 5 yards of road base, which my niece and I spread out and compacted using TomTom.

The last project of the day was putting a few more touches on the pergola.  I drilled and ran the last 6 bolts and nailed the rest of the ties.  Then I sawed off the top of each post with a chainsaw from the top of an unstable ladder. Deja vu to removing trees in Denver!  I also pounded cedar shims into the concrete footers between the footers and posts with a mallet to reduce structure movement.  Lilly removed and cleaned up all the bracing, bent nails, lumber ends, and scrap and then staged the lathe for trellis building tomorrow.