Suppressed by excessive heat and dryness this past summer, numerous saplings now rise in our flower beds and garden boxes, spurred on by recent rain and cooler weather. While the brutal summer all but negated the need for yard maintenance, we now have plenty of work on our hands.
As in most years, young redbuds and mimosa trees dominate the invasion, joined by a host of small oaks and maples. Left alone, they would soon shade out the flowering and garden plants and would surely wick away moisture and nutrients as well.
Though I tend to let nature do its thing, we live in a suburban neighborhood and certain expectations must be met. So we will spend a good deal of time removing the saplings, all the while aware of the massive acorn crop this fall, guaranteed to yield countless young oaks in the spring.
