How a Tree Becomes a Bush

It happens this way …

Last fall we cut down a 50-foot-high sugar maple tree, two 12-foot Rose of Sharon trees, one 10-foot and one 20-foot vine maple. We hated doing it because we loved each one, but their lush overgrowth made it necessary. We believed Mother Nature would understand because we were making room for other trees and plants to breathe. That belief was confirmed this season when she gave us five new gifts: foliage growing out of each stump. The two Rose of Sharon trees are now bushes about to bloom. The vine maples have sent out branches we are keeping nicely trimmed and shaped. And, to our delight, in the past month the sugar maple has started to send out leaves along its slightly-above-ground root system. They are shiny and stunning, and we’re going to let them grow and see what they become.

Of course, there’s something metaphysical in all this and a poem will have to be written. For now,  I’ve learned that letting go and making space – like embracing boredom – opens us to possibilities we never knew existed. This fall I will cut down a 14-foot japonica – the daughter of our 35-foot tree. I can’t wait to see what she transforms into!