Alright, all you smart 'nets out there, I have a question for you.
We need to plant some trees in our yard. We've got a lot of space, so don't worry about that being a limitation. We've thought about some good shade tree or maybe fruit tree that would give us some tasty treats in a few years. But then we realized what would be the coolest thing to have: a good climbing tree.
When I was growing up in South Florida, we had two oak trees in my backyard. One got planted about the time my family moved there when I was born, the other when I was about 8 or 10 years old. They were both great climbing trees, especially the one that grew with me. One year for my birthday, my dad and I made a wooden swing to hang from one of the more solid branches. I loved swinging high from that swing, feeling the branch move with me. I loved sitting in the branches of that oak. I would take a book or a video game and sit out there in the evening when it got cool. Sometimes I just went out there by myself to make believe I was someone different. The older tree was completely knocked over when Hurricane Wilma hit in 2005. The yard still looks nice, but that corner feels bare. My dad wants to remove the other one too since large branches of it were also blown off and hit the house, but so far it remains.
I want my soon-to-be-born girl (name still withheld thus far!) to have a good climbing tree. Or two or three. I live in Southeast Michigan, plant hardiness zone 5b. I need your suggestions. Let me know what you think would be a GREAT tree, one that will have a good trunk to get a first foot in, one that will grow strong and tall, one that will sprout branches good for gripping and good for supporting the weight of a growing girl. I don't care if it's a fruit tree and all the fruit gets eaten. I would love it if a bird or two decided it would be a great place to start a family. I just wanna plant a tree and watch it grow strong with the girl.
Also, I would love to hear y'all's best stories of tree climbing from childhood.
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9 comments:
Get an almond tree! When I was little we used to climb a green apple tree, but my favorite tree of all time was the almond tree in front of our house. I used to sit on a branch that seemed to be perfect for lounging and reading a book. And almonds straight from the tree are so tasty!
I wish I could name good climbing trees but I can't. However, I LOVED climbing trees when I was growing up. Who am I kidding - if I had a good climbing tree in my yard, I'd probably be climbing it right now. I don't really have good climbing tree stories except that I loved being up in a tree and watching people in my neighborhood. My brother was more daring and would go as high up as he could. He'd be on these tiny branches, swaying back and forth and it would scare my mom to near death.
I loved fruit trees. I grew up in NE Indiana and my grandma had the most awesome-ist plum tree. I've always wanted a plum tree! And my neighbor had this cherry tree that we'd eat off of. We'd come home covered in red stain and it was totally worth it.
wish I could help .. the only tree I'm familliar with by name up there is the birch, but I suspect they're not climbing trees.
So I'm the .001% of the population that had no desire to climb trees growing up. I was always afraid of getting stuck. Anyway...
My father planted two tulip poplars in our yard and by the time we were old enough, my sister climbed all the time. It had limbs close to the ground so it made for easy climbing even from an early age. I was just a wuss. For some reason, the one tree on higher ground grew much bigger, but that happens a lot around here. All the oaks/pines in our yard didn't have limbs close enough to the ground to climb, but provided great shade. The tulip poplar had a swing on one side and limbs that helped you up on the other. It was a good tree even if I didn't climb very high...and it has pretty flowers every Spring.
In honor of the birth of his first grandchild in 1985 my Dad planted a Maple tree. He named it the "Timmmy Tree" after my son.
By the time Tim was a teenager that tree was about 30 feet tall and it looked great in the fall when the leaves turned red.
The trees we loved as a kid were the Weeping Willows. The branches that hung all the way to the ground made great "pretend" houses and hideaways. The girls in the neighborhood would put blankets under there and place house and school.
My son's name is NOT Timmmy with 3 m's. ;-)
I'd have to agree with the maple tree suggestion. Those are good, they branch well, the bark is smooth, and they grow fairly fast (for trees, that is). Also the leaves are pretty in the fall, and the maple keys (seeds) are fun to play with in the spring.
Oak trees are great too, but they grow a little more slowly. And generally will be larger than maples when mature. Both are great for your zone.
You can tell I am a tree climbing expert!
http://michiganbulb.com/category.asp?c=30 i LOVE michigan bulb company...and they guarentee their plants, for the lifetime of the plant!! and the price is SO good too...next year i'm getting my lilacs through them because they always end up petering out on me...they are $6 a piece and guarenteed, what's not to love about that?? oh, quite a bit of lower michigan is zone 5 (check the map if you live more up north) so keep that in mind while picking what you want!
Weeping silver birch was my climbing tree of choice. My parents have always had one in their front yard. When the leaves fell in autumn they provided hours of fun as well - my sisters and I used to build houses [well, the wall outlines at any rate] and leaf piles are great for jumping. They provide excellent shade too.
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