When I was little, the family across the street from us planted a tree in their front yard. The little girl who lived there was my best friend at the time and I remember standing next to her and her father as they dug the hole and lowered the baby tree into the ground, roots and all. It seemed difficult to believe that one day that tiny twig would match the size of the other trees lining their property. And it seemed even more difficult to imagine that in thirty years time, I would be around to see it.
My friend moved to Texas the following year (totally devastating by the way) but that tree remained. It grew every year just like her father said it would and now I can see it standing tall every time I look out the kitchen window of my mom’s house. A permanent reminder (at least to me) of the family who lived there so many years ago.
Would I remember planting that tree if it wasn’t still there? Probably not. It’s like how your memories become your photos over time. Physical evidence of our time spent on earth.
In honor of Earth Day, Lands’ End asked me to partner with them to celebrate the millionth tree they’ve planted through the National Forest Foundation. Rather than just dress my family in their clothes and call it a day, I decided to up their tree count to one million and ONE.
Only this tree would be planted in our backyard.
Last Saturday (which was the most beautiful day of the year so far), Mazzy, Harlow, Mike and I dug a hole in the ground at our summer house, went to the local nursery, and picked out a tree that will hopefully grow up right alongside my girls.
I didn’t know what tree we would get, but on the way there Mazzy asked if we could get something with pink flowers. I am so used to saying “no” to all her ridiculous pink requests (pink hair, pink food, pink nails, etc.) I was surprised when Mike said, “Sure, if they have a pink flowering tree available at the nursery, we can get it.”
It was that moment I realized this experience was more meaningful than I first imagined. Not only were we planting a tree as a symbolic gesture, we were showing the girls how beautiful and amazing nature can be. It was a reminder to myself as well. I’ve always loved pink flowering trees and it never really occurred to me that I could easily plant one in my own yard.
In fact, a few weeks ago, I posted a beautiful picture on @pinkinnyc of a pink flowering tree in DC. I said it was cherry blossoms but people corrected me in the comments— it was magnolias. I showed the pic to Mazzy (as I do all the our @pinkinnyc pics) and she immediately recognized the name when the man at the nursery listed what would grow well in our area. Deer is a big problem in Eastern Long Island and the man told us deer stay away from Magnolia trees which made Mike very happy too.
“Can we get a Magnolia tree, Mom?” Mazzy pleaded.
There was no reason to tell her no. I was as excited as she was.
We put the tree in the trunk of our car and drove slowly with it sticking out the back, the trunk wide open.
“I’ll watch it, Mom!” Mazzy yelled. She kept calling out if it started to wobble or roll. Mazzy, the protector of all things Magnolia.
When we got back to the house, the girls armed themselves with mini shovels and rakes, wanting to help out as much as they could.
Mike and I lowered the tree into the ground and everyone worked together to pile the soil back on top.
Then we watered the tree and admired our green thumbs.
If you are wondering who took the family shots, it was my dad (aka Poppy) who lives nearby and often visits when we come out for the weekend.
If you are wondering what we are wearing, you can find all items (including Mazzy’s woven sheath, Harlow’s cinched waist, Mike’s twill button down and my red suede loafers) currently available on the Lands’ End site.
I am so grateful to Lands’ End for reminding me of that full grown tree in my neighbor’s yard and inspiring me to recreate that childhood memory with my own family.
One day those tiny twigs will become big thick branches and Magnolia petals will rain down on our yard from above for two to three weeks a year. And in thirty years, Mazzy and Harlow will tell their kids— I remember when we planted that tree. We should plant a tree of our own to grow up with you guys too.
Today, Land’s End is offering a $250 gift card to one lucky reader. To enter, just follow the rules below.
Giveaway Rules
1) You must be a Mommy Shorts subscriber or facebook fan to enter. Then leave a comment below telling me what kind of tree you want to plant with your family.
2) For a second entry, tweet the following and leave a second comment saying you did so:
I entered to win a $250 @landsend gift card via @mommyshorts! http://bit.ly/1PifJ6h #IAmLandsFriendly #earthday
Winner will be announced on Friday May 1st.
Good luck and have a happy Earth Day!
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WINNER UPDATE:
And the winner is… Lisacng@expandng.com who would like to plant a Japanese Maple or Cherry Blossom Tree.
Congrats! Please contact abby@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.
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This post was sponsored by Lands’ End but all thoughts, opinions, and love of Magnolia trees is my own.
I’d plant a Candler Oak
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/590906768731086848
I would really love to plant a cherry tree but I’m not sure southwest Virginia is a location that would allow this type of tree to grow, bloom and flourish. My cousin in California had one in his backyard and I remember how amazing it was when we visited and he asked if we wanted to have some. YES! Of course we did and they were amazing. I remember thinking how incredible it would be to just go into my backyard and be able to pick something delicious like that from one of my own trees.
I love magnolias too, I would plant one of them or a cherry blossom.
a fruit tree for sure! probably sweet apples 🙂
https://twitter.com/lizkitty8/status/590907848768544768
tweeted!
When I met my husband, he had just planted a lemon tree from seed. It takes 7ish years to produce fruit. This year (our 7th together), it flowered. 🙂 It’s wonderful to see the passage of time through its growth!
When our son was born, his great-grandpa gave us a draft off his peach tree. My green thumb hubs planted it and my now 18mo will enjoy fresh peaches all summer.
I grew up in the high plains with very few trees. I love this little tradition we’ve started. Should we have another bambino, I think we’ll do a pomegranate. BEAUTIFUL flowers and so vibrant!
I would love to plant an apple tree! I had one in the yard from age 7-10… then we moved ahhhgain. Best thing ever!
I’ve always wanted my own lemon tree! And we live in Southern California so it would be perfectly suited to the climate.
Tulip Poplar. When mature, they provide great shade. And the leaves are shaped like tulips…very fun.
TWEET complete! Happy Earth Day!!
Our house is in need of a Magnolia tree, in honor of my 4 year old daughter with the same name. She loves seeing “her trees” throughout our neighborhood. Thanks!
I would plant a pair of peach trees.
As a fellow lover of all things pink. A magnolia tree is on our list 🙂
What a beautiful weekend and sentiment! Got me a little teary eyed and I’m not sure why!
I think you’ve got a Japanese magnolia tree there! My husband bought me one for our fifth anniversary (he had plenty of jokes about the “wood” anniversary, but he did get me a great gift!)
I love your idea of a tree to grow with your girls! My 5 and 2 year olds would love another “pink” magnolia tree to sprout along with them in our yard.
I would love to plant a lime tree bc I LOVE limes!
I would love to plant a Sweet Tango apple tree in my front yard! Would save us money on our grocery bill 🙂
I would plan a Crab Apple tree. My grand parents had one at their house when I was growing up with 5 cousins all the same age. It bloomed beautifully and was a the perfect climbing tree. My two kids and the third on the way would love it!
I tweeted too!
I think I would plant a eucalyptus tree because we had one growing up. Or another Japanese cherry blossom because my kiddo loves it the best!
I would choose a weeping willow for sure. My daughters, like yours, would want something pink and flowery. My husband would choose something that had vibrant colors in the fall.
i would love to plant an apple tree in the backyard!
My husband and I recently planted a few Arborvitae trees in our yard and I’m looking forward to watching them grow along with us. I would love to plant a magnolia or cherry blossom tree when we finally have a baby as a way to mark that special occasion and to be symbolic of our growing family! Thanks for posting this!
tweeted https://twitter.com/stigay/status/590911679480860672
I would plant a Weeping Willow Tree. I have always admired them. I looked a various houses that had them when we moved but that didn’t work out. So if I Could, I would plant one.
I would love to plant several Maple trees. They are beautiful in the fall.
Tweeted this as well.
I would love to plant a Apple tree for my boys to climb and pick fresh Apple for me & my daughter to bake with!
i grew up playing under the branches of a weeping willow – it was my hiding place and fort – I would love to see my daughter do the same.
I tweeted
I would love to plant a Liliac bush in our yard (maybe not technically a tree, but I think it still counts).
I don’t have a yard, but if I did, I’d plant an apple tree. They can actually grow in IL, and it would be so fun picking apples with my son!
I’d love to plant a pecan tree, being from the south it reminds me of my home and so many memories cracking pecans as kids.
I would love to plant a dogwood tree in my yard. Driving around St. Louis they are everywhere and so beautiful. Also, they are pink. 🙂
I have always wanted a weeping willow.
Crepe Myrtle or Redbud or really any flowering tree. I love the flowers.
I WOULD LOVE TO PLANT A QUAKING ASPEN.
We recently moved to a new home and are getting ready to add a number of trees. The kids are most excited about fruit trees – I’d love to plant a fig tree. Fresh figs!
My family would plant a cherry tree 🙂
If we had any sort of yard, I’d plant a Japanese Flowering Cherry or perhaps a Japanese Red Maple.
I really like dogwoods
I’m with Mazzy…anything with pink or white flowers…although I have always wanted a lemon tree. Will those even grow in Ohio?
We have a magnolia tree and LOVE it! So beautiful and really hardy. We want to plant a peach tree 🙂
I would love to plant an avocado tree since my daughter loves to eat avocados.
My great great grandma planted a magnolia tree in our family’s side yard 112 years ago when they were putting down roots of their own. We are planning on planting a magnolia in our side yard in her honor as well as a gingko tree in honor of my grandmother who passed away 8 years ago this year as a reminder of our family roots as we are growing from a family of 3 to a family of 4.
A mango tree! Still looking for a home with a backyard, but a mango tree will stand there someday! My grandparents had a mango tree in their backyard … and they’d bear fruit every year around spring break (we just call it summer holidays back in India). The day used to be filled with delicacies such as mango pickles, mango juice, mango cut fruit, mango ice-cream.. all homemade!
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/DPaape/status/590919732053708802
We have actually planted two trees in our yard this year: an Italian plum (free from a fellow gardener, it was a baby from her tree), and a four-variety Cherry!! So excited to grow food on our property! Though, if I were to plant a pink tree I would go with a pink dogwood. They are in bloom here right now and they look magical!! 😉
How fun! I am an FB follower and I’d love the plant a Japanese maple or cherry blossom tree.
I also tweeted!
My son is Oliver, so I would love to plant an Olive tree… except that they sort of kill other plants, so that’s not ideal…. so maybe must something like Oliver… something that blooms suddenly and does what it wants. Is there an “I do what I want!” tree? Cause that’s what I should plant. On second thought, I think that IS an olive tree.
I love this I can’t believe it never occured to me. I am going to seriously consider an apple tree for our side yard.
I would actually plant the same tree you planted. I love those when they are in bloom and they are pretty in the winter as well.
I love this! We plant trees for all big occasions. We planted several fruit trees when we moved to our house. We planted a pink flowering tree(!) when my baby was born and will continue to plant and take pictures next to these every year. In fact, in many pictures from when I was little we can judge time by the tree, fall or spring and the approximate year based on the size of the tree. This year we are adding even more fruit trees. It’ll be an orchard before we know it!
Cherry Blossoms! I’m with Mazy on the pink 🙂
I’d plant a weeping cherry – they do really well in the Northeast and they are beautiful!!
I agree with Mazzy, pink flowering trees are my favorite tree. My grandfather planted a pink driftwood in his yard for me when I was little, so I would like a pink dogwood in my yard now.
We already have a tree that rains pink petals on our lawn; Hazy calls it “pink snow”. So I’ll go with lemon tree!
And I tweeted!
I tweeted!
I would plant a Dogwood tree in my front yard! We had one growing up at my parent’s house and when it was in bloom it was soo pretty!
We had to take down a lovely tree in our yard recently, we were all super sad (it had cracked in a windstorm and was precarious). The girls decided to plant an orchard! We are now trying to figure out which four trees to plant, everyone wants a different fruit: apple, cherry, pear and coconuts. Maybe we will do all! Well, not the coconuts..we live in the NW.
An apple tree would be my choice!
I would absolutely love to plant an avocado tree. It will give us shade, feed us yummy avocados and be super old and producing by the time the kids grow up.
I would definitely plant a lilac tree. They are by far my favorite flower and I have tons of great childhood memories surrounding lilacs. 🙂
A weeping cherry!
I Tweeted! @angelamking
A dogwood tree in white or pink!!
I’d plant a dogwood. I love it when the azaleas and dogwoods boom…reminds me of growing up in North Carolina.
There are many trees that I would love, but I’m going to go with the very first one that popped into my head- a Weeping Willow. There was one across the street when I was growing up and I just loved that tree and have always wanted my very own.
A fruit tree! Or a magnolia, since we are also eastern LI 🙂
I’m with Mazzy I want to plant something with pink flowers too! The Cherry Blossom Trees in my parents front yard are my absolute favorite so I would love to plant one of those!
We planted 3 Magnolia trees in our backyard a couple years ago, and they are BEAUTIFUL for a couple weeks each spring with their pink flowers (and a lovely green the rest of the summer too). 🙂 I love them in the spring. I’d like to plant a new Flowering Pear tree in our front. It has pretty white flowers in the spring, and fantastic shape, and gorgeous colors in the fall.
Tweeted it! 🙂
I would love to plant a Magnolia tree, always have so maybe I should just do it already 🙂
I want to plant a lemon tree, but it would not survive where we live. I’ll settle for a maple tree because my son loves those helicopter seeds.
I would love to plant a weeping willow! In Kindergarten, my teacher would take us outside for story-time & read to us underneath the tree. I would love to do the same with my kids 🙂
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/sQuirrelboTTom3/status/590928990539534337
I would have to say a magnolia tree. My mom has one and it’s so beautiful and fragrant.
I would plant a willow tree. There is this massive, hundreds of years old weeping willow in my parents’ back yard. It has served as three different tree forts, a rope swing platform, a holder for those funky tree faces, and the site of many fairy houses. My mother has pictures of me sitting in the crotch of the tree at a young age. When my daughter was around the same age, we took the same picture with her in the same location. I love that tree.
I would love to plant a lemon tree. We’re a military family, so we move way too often to plant trees, but we will once we’re in our “forever house”. For now, I keep hinting that I’d like a little Meyer Lemon tree because they grow well indoors, so it could move with us.
A cherry blossom tree, an apple tree or both!
Definitely an oak tree! I went to New Orleans on my honeymoon and the oak trees covered in Spanish moss were just gorgeous! Plus they’re great climbing trees, and as I’m pregnant with a little boy, these are things I gotta think about 🙂
And tweeted!
I’d love to plant a Japanese Maple!
I told my husband I wanted a forsythia bush for mothers day.
I would plant a red maple.
We JUST planted two Japanese cherry trees in our back yard! In our forever home (we’re military, so everything is temporary right now), planting a Magnolia tree is our dream! The bigger the better.
This was such a sweet post! My son had requested a peach tree like at grandma’s house- but we live too high in elevation and the growing season is too short for it to produce. I told him if we ever move he can have a peach tree ! (poor guy) In the meantime He got to pick out some flowers for the garden so that helped sooth him.
Avocado!!!!
Id love to plant a magnolia. We had them in north carolina growing up and i always love them
I tweeted
I want to plant a dogwood tree. I love the blooms in spring, now to convince the hubby.
We grew up with a crabapple tree that I still drive by and see when I am near my childhood hOme. My daughter is due in six weeks and I want to plant her a dogwood I’m honor of my little sister who passed two years ago April 18th on the most beautiful day of the year when every dogwood was in full bloom.
I would adore an apple tree! My Grandma had an apple tree orchard and I have so many fond memories of picking apples with her.
I would love a cherry tree!
I tweeted, too. 🙂
Dogwood. My parents planted one when i was born and used the branches for my chuppah. We did the same when my daughter was born and plan to use those branches for her
I would love a magnolia tree also but don’t think it would survive where I live. I’ve always wanted a willow tree! I think fruit trees would also be great!
We have Mimosa trees that Mazzy would love they produce pink fluffy flowers!
tweeted https://twitter.com/mosquints/status/590940055998488578