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Our little “Peaches and Cream” maple has grown quite a lot since you first saw it in late March. Aren’t its leaves stunning?
We brought both little maple trees inside the garage last Friday afternoon to weather the rain and cold with the olive trees. Our last freeze came early last Sunday morning, and the maples came back outside to a shady spot on Monday.
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By Tuesday morning, this one looked as though a bar fight had been waged in its pot. Bits of moss were everywhere around it on the deck, and most of the soil was bared. The other moss gardens nearby were in a similiar state. What happened?
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You guessed it! Nesting season, of course. And the soft moss already in pots, easy to reach, looked too tempting to our amorous song birds.
I picked up what bits were left, replaced them, and tidied up… several times now. Tiny wild violets have just appeared, and may possibly anchor the moss as they grow.
The trees have made steady progress, and I am pleasantly surprised to see so much new growth.
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Later in the week, I’ll share photos of the second little Acer .
Woodland Gnome 2015
Forest Garden 
What a beautiful little Japanese Maple. I have two, one Shawn rescued from a yard clean up.
How funny the birds found the moss. I have a big hanging basket with a coconut coir liner. It is being ripped apart by the birds so we hung a CD from the hook to twist in the wind and hopefully save the liner before all the dirt falls out : ) I remember a friend long ago that used to sit outside to brush her long hair and then throw it out for the birds. Perhaps I need to do that with my long gray hairs…they are certainly strong and wiry enough!
That is a great idea, Laurin, and I should do the same 😉 Actually, I offer up clumps of cat hair from time to time 😉 They steal from our baskets, too. I began lining our baskets with plastic shopping bags some years ago. It helps them stay moist longer, and holds the soil when the birds pick the coir liners thin. The moss has gone completely from another pot, not photographed ( pretty sorry looking at the moment.) But I suppose it has gone to a good use 😉 Do you suppose it will continue to grow in their nests? Thank you for visiting today, Giant hugs, WG
I am always surprised by the rapid growth of many of the maples. The coloring on that one is very fetching.
And the two trees have slightly different colors in the leaves. A little reading tells me these colors will fade back to green as the leaves age. Endlessly interesting, isn’t it Ricki? Hope you are enjoying the day. Thank you for visiting 😉
How very kind of you to provide nesting material for your feathered friends. 😉 Your maple is so pretty, looking forward to seeing it grow! Hoppy Easter!
Happy Easter, Eliza. Sadly, there was no altruistic motive on my part. They take fiber from the hanging baskets all summer, and now my moss! Opportunistic little cheepers…. 😉 Hope you enjoy the day. We have beautiful sunshine, and it is calling me outside 😉