Rewilding My Lot

Last year I planted four trees in the back yard (Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana), Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri), and Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora). Recently I bought a fifth for the collection, a Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia). It’s a small understory tree, so I’ve put it close to the back fence where it should get some shade on its west side. It’s tiny at the moment, just 14 inches tall, but it looks to be a happy plant (purchased from PolliNatives).

To start with, I have defined only a small space for this tree. Its neighbors are annual and biennial plants, so I’ll be able to give the Red Buckeye more room as those other plants bloom and die.

One advantage of Red Buckeye is that it is popular with hummingbirds, as is its nearest tree neighbor, my Desert Willow. It’s also deciduous, so each year there will be some leaf litter to feed the ground. However, given the current size of this tree, this may not be a significant factor for years!