The NYS DEC sent us five saplings as part of their wildlife habitat improvement program. We got crab apple, wild black cherry, vibernum, witch hazel, and a white spruce tree. I planted them and forgot about them. Two years later, we transplanted the crab apple, and the white spruce.

The white spruce ( poor little tree) ended up in the far corner of the driveway, near giant Hosta plants. Two years later, I decided to see how the tree was doing. I spread Hosta leaves and found my poor little tree.

It was alive. I must have stepped on it when I was pruning nearby. The trunk was slanted. The tree had needles and was healthy, but I felt guilty that I had provided it with a better place. I promptly top dressed with compost; propped it up, and watered. I cut away Hosta leaves. Since it was early summer, we decided to leave the tree in place and transplant it in the fall. I found a spot near the front gate. We intend to clear a 12 foot circle of lawn and develop it into a native wildflower garden with our poor little tree the centerpiece.

I promised myself “This will be your last move. You will flourish. Sidewalk passersby will admire your beauty. We will not decorate you at Christmastime. You are already decorated. You have two huge neighbors, a cypress and redwood will look over you and eventually you will reach your mature height. You will remind us of the mountainsides upstate where you prefer to grow.

So, poor little tree, before long, you will not be poor and you will not be little. You will create shade, bird perches and maybe a nesting place; you will provide oxygen to the atmosphere and take carbon dioxide from the air. We apologize and will not call you “poor little tree” any longer. You are a WHITE SPRUCE tree.