When we moved in, the one Cornus florida (red Flowering dogwood tree) on the lot was in a sad, sad state. Its roots were exposed. It suffered from lack of water. And in the spring, it grunted forth a handful of blossoms that quickly fell off.

Hoping to save it, we tried everything we could think of: [X] covered the roots with the a few inches of screened loam and compost, [X] watered it when the weather got dry, [X] added a layer of straw over the top to reduce moisture loss, [X] pounded a fertilizer spike in the ground to feed it.

I’m happy to say that this spring the tree looks ecstatic for the first time in three years. Flowers galore! Maybe we did something right. Maybe.