Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 188 Comments

How We Transplanted Our Red Maple Tree

We were sneaky. Before we put our first house on the market we dug up a Japanese maple that we had planted in the back. We planted it right around the time we got married and it was an offshoot plant from a gorgeous maple that grew in John’s parents’ house (the only house he lived in for his entire childhood which has since been sold). So it was kind of double-meaningful with the whole “wedding tree” and “John’s childhood house” connection. That’s why before we sold the house we figured we should dig it up and put it in a bucket and move that bucket right along with us. But since we moved in December, it wasn’t exactly planting season. The whole thing was touch and go from the beginning, and by the time we finally got around to planting it (about seven weeks after we moved since there was so much snow going on and the ground was frozen) we worried it was d-e-a-d.

Maple Getting Planted

Maple Getting Planted2

But we planted it anyway, and watered it a little, and did the whole cross-your-toes-and-eyes thing.

So when spring rolled around and this other maple on our property looked like this…

Outside Two Toned Maple

… and our poor tree still looked like this…

Maple No Buds

… we really feared the worst. It had tiny buds on the end of each branch which had been there since we planted it in the winter, but they weren’t changing. Boo. But at least it didn’t look rotten or completely dead. Just sort of dormant. So we decided to leave it alone and see what happened. John even suggested that maybe it would somehow miraculously bloom next spring or something after a year of “rest.”

Then the other day John came inside after mowing and looked me in the eyes and said “guess what?!” Then he paused for dramatic effect for what felt like ten minutes while I guessed things like “you met a talking Squirrel” and “you found buried treasure.” I was dying for him to just spit out and and he finally said “the maple…” and I screamed “is getting leaves?! it’s alive?!!!!” and he nodded. Little guy up and grew some gorgeous little red leaves for us:

Maple Alive1

Maple Lives2

Maple Alive3

The whole thing culminated in my running outside and chanting “Go maple, it’s your birthday, go maple…” which eventually evolved into “Grow maple, grow maple, grow!” And I think the new neighbors might have heard me. Way to make a good impression $herdog (yes, that’s my nickname to myself that refuses to catch on). But really, who can’t relate to dancing and singing for the miraculous growth of leaves? Ok, nevermind. Only now do I realize how strange that reaction was. Hindsight is 20/20.

I guess things could still go south (we did recently learn that leafy branches can up and die in record time), but the new growth seems like an awesome sign. And it will be amazing if we can glance out the window and actually see our gorgeous wedding maple from John’s childhood home chilling in the backyard for years to come. Oh what the heck- GO MAPLE, IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Comments

  1. Elizabeth D says

    I totally had a mental image of Sherry running outside and doing the little “growth” dance/routine from “My Neighbor Totoro.” Yes, this does reveal that I am indeed a complete dork, but hey – who isn’t?

    Reply

  6. Dana says

    This is how I feel about our peach tree. My mother in law gave us the tree and I think that it looks lovely in our back yard. If we ever move it will have to move with us.

    Reply

  7. Jackie says

    Love this post about the maple! Go maple, grow! I love the meaning behind the tree as well. It will be awesome for you to see it get bigger over the years. :)

    Also, I hope I don’t sound like a creeper here, but I thought I would mention this because you posted about your dream the other day. I had a dream a couple of days ago that my husband and I were house crashing your house, ha! To make this even funnier our husbands somehow knew each other. They had met at a football game in college which makes no sense since my husband went to college in Ohio etc etc… John seemed annoyed that my husband was around, but the two of us were having a grand time talking DIY house matters. Very very random!

    Reply

  8. Victoria says

    I just lOoove your posts, you guys are so much fun. I hope your maple tree gets super powers and grows freakishly strong.

    Reply

  10. wendy h says

    GROW MAPLE GROW!!!! Do it ’cause $herdog says so!!!! I so love a happy outcome! and exclamation points, apparently.

    Reply

  11. Marla says

    haha, $herdog! Love your rapper name. My husband I and do the rapper names too – for no reason other than it makes us laugh (plus he does a mean L.L. Cool Jay – haha!)

    Anyway, my parents’ had a beautiful maple tree in their last house and we had a tradition of taking our Easter pics in front of it every year b/c it had flowered by then. Maybe something similar your family can do? Yo yo, Maple’s got her bling on!

    Reply

  12. Heather says

    Oh my gosh, you crack me up!! I “laughed out loud” when I read this post, just picturing your excitement $herdog! LOL!!! LOVE IT!!! :) SO happy that the maple tree’s leaves have made in appearance…what an awesome memory! :)

    Reply

  13. White Bedroom says

    Aww, such a aweet story about a little maple tree coming back from near death. Brought a little tear to my eye. Then the whole $herdog thing ruined it and I spat coffee on my keyboard.

    Reply

  14. Sarah says

    I love you funny stories!! Acting silly and funny with my husband is one of our favorite past times! What a shame it would be to not sing to a tree and get a good laugh with your spouse!!

    Reply

  15. Jane says

    My mother always says that you have to talk to your plants. By talking, you’re giving them a jolt of positive energy. It works on house plants … why not a maple?

    Reply

  16. Donna Huebsch says

    I’m so glad your maple has sprung to life! We have a little pot of tea roses we dragged over from our old house, and I’m afraid it’s bitten the dust…our bush came from a shoot from my sister’s house, which came from a shoot at my grandma’s house Aa-a-a-and as I was writing this, I glanced at the patio where the tea rose pot is and thought I saw green leaves, so I rushed out and, lo and behold, it’s still hanging in there! Just doused it with water, and will hope for the best :o)

    Reply

  18. Jen says

    I planted some tiny tree seedlings one year and the organization that gave them to me said that in its first season after planting, a tree SLEEPS. In the second season it CREEPS and the third season it LEAPS!

    Way to go tiny maple friend!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh man I can’t wait until it leaps. I think I’ll probably be leaping right along with it (you know, in celebration). And singing. And generally being crazy.

      xo,
      s

  19. Jill says

    This post had me smiling ear to ear. And I may or may not have cheered on my trees before. With dance moves. They’ll never tell.

    Reply

  23. Shelby says

    For my high school graduation my boyfriend gave me a cute little Japanese Maple that he wanted us to plant on some land that was handed down to me by my parents. We have major plans for this little peice of land one day and I thought that the cute scraggly little tree was just the best, sweetest, most thoughtful gift ever! Well it was summer and we live in Florida where it is HOT HOT HOT! So we didnt get around to planting the tree until about hmmm September. We had pretty much given up hope on it (it was just a bundle of sticks) but decided to plant it anyway….and by a miracle it had pretty red leave in November!!! Yes things still grow in Florida in November because its usually around a freezing cold 70 degrees! We just cant wait to make that tree the conversation peice of out future front yard!

    Reply

  25. Wom-mom Ethne says

    Fab news. My mom has been a tree transplanter for years. In fact, I think we actually have peonies in her yard that date back to the Revolutionary War, which have been transplanted around in our family for generations. (I have not genetically verified this, of course, but they are at least a couple of generations old.) So, good for the red maple! ~Ethne

    Reply

  26. Annette says

    I’ve done a lot of plant-cheering and coaxing lately.

    Since I’ve had the bad luck of bringing out all of my balcony vegetable garden pots right the day before the worst hailstorm that I can remember My plants got badly beaten. Not all of my tomato and bellpepper plants made it, but a few of them are still going strong. Despite having huge holes in their leaves. Surely some of it is owed to my encouraging words. ;-)

    Gotta love a strong-willed plant.
    So go maple, go tomato, go peppers!

    Reply

  27. Chrystal says

    I had been lusting over fiddle leaf fig trees for awhile, but they were out of my price range. Then, I found a cheap one at an estate sale and couldn’t help but snag it, even though it looked a little worse for the wear. I’ve heard they were a bit difficult, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best…that was 2 months ago. Just last week, I noticed a new leaf! And it has sprouted a new leaf every single day since!! I would never admit this to family or friends, but I also did a little song and dance when I saw the first leaf, so you aren’t the only one :) Congrats!

    Reply

  28. Meaghan says

    So happy for you guys! Although as I read this I’m cringing about the maple we left at our old house. My dad gave it to us and his since passed away; it grew into the most beautiful tree but my husband said it would be too hard to dig up and that the tree probably wouldn’t survive. I’ll just drive by and stalk it I guess :)

    Reply

    • Annette says

      Have you thought of cutting off a branch and putting it in water? It might grow roots and you can “clone” that tree. I’m sure the new owners wouldn’t mind.
      You might want to look that up on google. I’m sure there are a couple of tricks to get the roots sprouting faster.

  31. alg says

    I’ve been told that transplanting can cause the plant to kind of “go into shock” and that they’ll appear almost dead before springing right back to life. Kinda cool metaphor, huh?

    Reply

  32. Leslie says

    I freakin LOVE this story! I seriously just laughed out loud by myself in my living room! AND FYI Sherdog should TOTALLY catch on… it’s a great nickname! I have a Black thumb so if you can grow anything I’m impressed! GROW MAPLE GROW!

    Reply

  33. Heather says

    I can completely relate! I went up to Michigan (from PA) for my nieces wedding several years ago, my sister had bought over 30 potted Hydrangea plants (all in purple) to help decorate the chapel for the wedding. My sister/neice gave me 5 plants to bring home. I was told my workers in nursies that they were “hot-house plants” and would never bloom (My niece and her husband planted several as well, and they didn’t make it). After a couple years they bloomed, and were so pretty. Then 2 years ago we sold our house, and upon the day of us cleaning out just before the last walk through, I realized that I would be devestated if I had to leave these special plants behind (my sister passed away 2 years ago w/cancer). I left a note for the new homeowners and they said I could take them all with me. I dug up 3, leaving them 2). I planted them at our new house…and I did a happy dance complete with a special cheer followed by tears when they bloomed last summer.

    Reply

  34. Marriah says

    $herdog, you’re not crazy at all… My husband and I put out grass seed this spring (not the ideal time to plant grass, I know) in our completely barren, dusty yard that was purchased with our house last April, and I totally went outside every day for about three weeks and “encouraged” the grass seed to grow! (C’mon grass, you can do it! I know you can grow nice and pretty and thick!) And when it did finally start to sprout, I continued talking to it every time I was outside. Its having a bit of a rough time with all the Memphis heat right now, but hopefully it’ll last long enough for us to patch up the bare spots this fall.

    Reply

  35. Virginia says

    Oh my gosh, Sherry. That’s priceless. 3 things: #1. hope it’s still alive. #2. I don’t wanna live in a world where $herrdog doesn’t catch on. and #3. I believe it’s a little known secret that plants grow BETTER when sung renditions of ‘Fitty’ songs. Yes…I said ‘Fitty’. You know the one.
    :)
    Virginia

    Reply

  36. Debi says

    I just read through all this from the little picture from the new baby’s room post and I have a question………

    Did you move your tree to the new new house??

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *