"New Year for Trees"

Tu B'Shevat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar - celebrated today - is the day that marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees." This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

Photo by Katherine Field

I admire the lushness leaves bring to trees - but there is a special element to the bare branches… The real structure waits beneath - the combination of line and texture, shade and shadow - the whole story doesn’t show.







Photo by Jake Mather

Trees inspire artists and touch our souls...

Like those in the drawings of van Gogh and the prints of Hokusai, trees are the inspiration for sculptors, painters, photographers, and designers alike. They are the living ‘bones’ of the works of landscape architects… they reach to the skies and provide homes for the gentlest of creatures… they whisper in the breeze and speak to me. I am humbled by the responsibility of planting trees today that will hold secret conversations with the hearts of others.
Vincent van Gogh, Winter Garden

I love the form... I love being able to see through the trees... to see the structure... the topography, the brown and the blues, the graphic quality of the branches.

After the snow fall...

The snow is so incredible on the trees - it outlines the form in a way that one would normally never see – it defines the deep contours and separates the individual branches… Icicles glimmer in the winter light illustrating the bone structure of each limb.

Dogwood: Look great just about any time of year! They are mostly admired for their white or pink springtime flowers, but don't overlook the gorgeous purple-red tones they bring to your fall landscape.

Ginkgo: A slow-growing tree that adds grace to any landscape. In autumn the fan-shaped leaves show breathtaking shades of luminous, golden-yellow.

Sugar Maple: A wonderful tree that makes a big statement in fall, sugar maple offers gorgeous red, orange, or yellow end-of-season leaves.

Top trees for fall color...

This week's posts are dedicated to the beautiful trees of fall - each day a new tree will be posted. Any of the picks will add an explosion of fiery hues to your yard this fall!


Sweet Birch: A beautiful tree, you'll love the sweet birch for it's cinnamon-colored peeling bark and triangular dark green leaves that turn a beautiful golden-yellow in fall.