I love trees. *sigh* And now with spring here, they will soon be awakening from their winter slumber, and making our landscapes fresh and beautiful again. I have heard it said that the "best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago" and I think that is so true, at least for my yard. My property used to be filled with trees, especially the mammoth Elm trees of primitive America. I have seen very old photos of these incredible trees-- some with a diameter of 7-10 feet wide (one of the largest in the area was in my front yard in the 30s), and some as tall as 200 feet. My area used to be SO beautiful. But the trees were stricken with Dutch Elm disease in the 40s and 50s, due to a nasty bug from Asia. And all our elms are gone. :( My neighborhood looks so ugly now-- gray, dirty roads, paved-over sidewalks, scrubby box alder trees.... it is in need of some serious zit remedy, definitely. I have planted a few trees in my yard, but they take a long time to grow. I will most likely never see how beautiful they grow to become.

I was intrigued by a website that lists 10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World. I have seen some of these, years ago, but some are new. They are neat! I post a few, but if you want to see them all, the website has more with photos and great explanations about the trees.

This is cool. A gardener grafted together trees that had been planted in a circle, creating a netting of tree trunks.

The Lone Cypress of California. While the cypress is small and somewhat insignificant in an area of other cypress trees, it is notable in that the little tree is so enduring. It tenaciously clings to the rock, despite the obvious lack of elbow room! A stunning vista. The colors are very appealing.


This is like a carrot gone wild. It's a baobab from Madagascar.


The Two-Legged Tree.


There are more photos at the site. All are lovely!