Elms

We have had a number of elms in our yard. But every time they get to a decent size, they die. The cause, of course, is Dutch Elm disease.

This weekend we planted two more.

They don’t look like much, do they? But in time they will. They’ll grow pretty quickly, and in a few years they’ll start to have that distinctive vase shape that you used to see along Main Street in towns all over America.

So why’d we plant these if they always die? Because these are different. These are the new Valley Forge variety. This is one of several new varieties of elm which are resistant to Dutch Elm disease.

We got them from Bruce Carley in Acton. He’s been raising them for about 15 years now and planting lots of them in the area. He gave us a lot of good advice on pruning them (fairly tricky for this variety) and protecting them from deer (important when they’re this small).