Dogwoods and the Circle of Life - April 2021
I have always loved dogwood trees. Among my earliest memories is sitting under the dogwood at my Grandfather’s house in Woodlawn, Baltimore County (coincidentally a block from Dogwood Road). To my tiny self – it was this huge white canopy saving me from the harsh glare of the summer sun.
Fast forward to my house on Main Street in Laurel, Maryland. That house was my first “old house” – and my first Millhouse – having been built by the Laurel Mills Company for their workers. When we bought it there were three mature dogwoods down the side of the property leading to the Patuxent River, two white and one pink. Over the years those trees served as a playground for our young children, supported a hammock, and even served as a headstone for one or two cats. I could look out of the old side windows on the third floor of the house – not unlike the third-floor side windows of the Osceola Mill House – and look down on the sea of color from the trees in the Spring.
Fast forward again to the Osceola Mill House. Although there were beautiful gardens when we arrived, there were no dogwoods in sight. There were, however, those two beautiful large maples on the front lawn that have shaded our red rocking chairs and become a symbol of peace and tranquility for our guests over the years. You see photos of them as you enter the homepage of our website. When we first moved in that Spring of 2006, the larger of the two actually held a rope swing that our grandchildren loved.
But over the years, as happens to all of us, the trees required some “work”. By Autumn of 2020, we knew that the end was near for one of them, and we began to worry about the safety of guests resting under its limbs. So, we hired our trusted Amish tree trimmer, Black Bear Enterprises, to come over and do a little Spring cleaning all around the property, including removing the dying Maple tree. My heart was breaking!
Then on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, with no guests around the house, we wandered over to our local nursery to have a look around for a few annuals for the garden. There in the back of the lot were a group of vaguely familiar-looking small trees. I approached and started reading the tags - Dogwood Trees! Faithfully I studied the requirements for planting and hardiness advice. All of the memories and joys of the dogwood trees of my past came flooding over me. By the time that Ron finally realized that he had lost me and came looking, I was holding onto a Crimson Fire Dogwood and saying “I want it!”.
So, in April 2021, as we mark our 15th anniversary at the Osceola Mill House, I came full circle and planted a new Dogwood tree. I hold no illusions that I will be here to see this baby hold a hammock, or to see our little ones climb in her boughs. But perhaps I have set the stage for another generation’s enjoyment of the front lawn. I realize that at some point I will again leave my Dogwood as I pass this piece of Lancaster County history onto someone else for safekeeping. But not today. Today I am going out to the front lawn with a glass of wine and sit under……ummmm……sit beside…… my Dogwood tree.
(Photos of the work and the new tree are in the gallery of our website)
