Rewilding My Lot

In front of the house there are two Live Oak trees that the builder planted. Behind the house there are four trees that I planted early in my time here (2-3 years ago), with the intent that they would become major features in the garden: Desert Willow, Texas Mountain Laurel, Mexican Olive, and Mexican Plum.

Each year in January I measure and photograph my trees in order to track their progress (2025 report).

However, we have reached a particular milestone that I would like to commemorate now, at a time of year when the trees are more photogenic (especially the deciduous ones). That achievement is that each of the four back garden feature trees is now taller than my own 62 inches in height!

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis). Of all the trees here, this is the most spectacular. It has grown the most and blooms profusely from spring to fall. Hummingbirds and a variety of insects feed from the flowers, and doves like to rest on the shaded ground below. Even in times of drought, this tree gets no supplemental water.

Structurally, this tree has had some challenges in its short life. In May 2024, high winds tore a split into a forked branch. By December 2024, the split had healed well, but for the foreseeable future this tree will wear a bandana for support. In September 2024, a friend built a brace for the tree because I feared that it was slowly falling over. The brace is still in place and the tree is a much better shape now. I don’t know when I’ll take the brace down.

Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum). These trees are very slow growing and mine had a particularly slow start in its first year. However, it’s growing well now and judging by the number of buds I see, it may bloom for the first time next spring. This tree also never gets extra water from me, even in times of drought.

Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri). This is a tree that is close to the north end of its range. It handles heat very well, but was significantly damaged by freeze events in its first two winters here. Despite last winter freezing down to just a few inches from the ground, its growth this year has been astonishing and it is now taller than it has ever been. It blooms on and off throughout much of the year and currently has several berries that are developing.

Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana). This tree is apparently still getting established. This spring there were blooms for the first time, but there have been no fruits yet. In its time here, it hasn’t yet grown any taller or wider yet, although individual branches are more bushy. I have been concerned sometimes that the leaves have looked “thirsty” but I see older Mexican Plum trees that are healthy with leaves that look the same as mine. I do give this tree extra water if we haven’t had rain in several weeks.

I am pleased with how my little trees are growing, given that they have only been here 2-3 years. As I look out at the view from the back patio, they are beginning to show themselves as key marker points in the garden. Here is one last photo with the yellow-shirted measuring stick. From left to right the trees are Mexican Olive, Desert Willow, Mexican Plum, and Texas Mountain Laurel.