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.
We would definitely plant a Magnolia tree to get those pink blooms!
We hope to plant a Magnolia tree in our yard. I’ve just noticed them all over our neighborhood and since my oldest came home from preschool today talking about Earth day it’s s little extra motivation.
Tweeted!
We just planted a golden delicious apple tree in our yard.
tweeted! https://twitter.com/jednc2/status/590941578434228224
I would plant a white dogwood tree. We had them in our yard growing up and I always thought they were beautiful.
I would love to plant a weeping willow tree. We live on a lake and they grow great next to water. The only problem is my husband is hesitant because they get big so fast but don’t last very long and can be dangerous once they hollow out.
When we buy a house we want to plant an Oak for our oldest daughter and a Willow for our younger daughter.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/mlvanhuss/status/590942656340996096
I would love to plant a crabapple tree. We had one in our yard growing up. We would use the blossoms to make “perfume” in the spring. It was the best climbing tree ever.
I would love to plant a dogwood tree. It’s the state tree of North Carolina and I love NC! They are blooming beautifully right now and are such a beautiful reminder of spring!
We planted a weeping cherry the weekend we moved in our our first house which was also my first mother’s day. It’s really special to me!
The magnolia trees around here are in bloom right now and they’re gorgeous, I was just telling my husband the other day that I want one. I’ve been wanting to plant a tree in memory of the babies we’ve lost and I think a magnolia would be perfect!
I would love to plant a tulip poplar tree. We had one growing up, and when it bloomed, it was right outside my bedroom window. It got so big and it was close to the house, and my parents ended up cutting it down out of concern for the house with storms, etc.. I was so crushed (it was also an excellent climbing tree), so I’d love to plant another one and see those blooms outside my window again!
My mom has lilac bushes and dogwood trees in her yard, and when the seasons changed last year, my kids were mesmerized by the flowers blowing everywhere – they swore it was Elsa’s magic. I would love to plant either or both at our house and show them how to make our own magic!
Tweeted!
https://twitter.com/smpaynelaw/status/590946428190470144
Dogwood! Lovely pink and white flowers!
After seeing your photo of a magnolia tree, I would LOVE to have one of those in my yard!
I’d love to plant a whole forest I’d trees, but since we live in a townhome that won’t happen. I planted a tree when we first moved in and love how much it has grown. I plan on taking it with us if we ever move. I think I’d like to plant a fruit tree – maybe an apple tree – since we eat so much fruit in our home. Or a money tree since we have another baby on the way!! 😉
Dogwood. Because, we have two (one in the front, one in the back yard) at my house where I grew up and they were so much a part of my childhood, I’d like to recreate that with my girls.
We just moved to the DC area and I didn’t recognize these beautiful trees as magnolias this spring (I’m used to the magnolia grandiflora trees in the south, with their big white flowers). I just love them! If I could plant a tree with my kids (and then keep it alive), I would plant a Japanese maple, they are so gorgeous!
An apple tree.
I have a list of trees I love and would love to plant. We did plant a purple magnolia tree when our daughter was born. I’ve also been wanting to plant a red bud tree and a pink dogwood. I really love flowering trees.
I would plant a japanese maple tree, they are so pretty!
A lime tree or a magnolia tree would be lovely!
I’d plant a Japanese Maple – love them!
I’d plant a dogwood, we ha e one I. Our front yard and it fills the dining room window with its blooms, I’d love a second in the back yard.
I would love to have a lemon tree! What’s better than lemonade made from your backyard lemons?
I remember when I took our intro to Judaism class that the rabbi talked about planting trees when the kids were born… “In ancient Israel, a tree was planted when a child was born—a cedar for a boy, a cypress for a girl. As the children grew up, they cared for their own trees. When they were married, the bridegroom and bride stood under a canopy made of branches cut from the trees that had been planted in their honor years before. Thus, the Jewish tradition formed a strong bond between birth and marriage, and helped to develop a love for trees and a sensitivity to the wonders of nature.” While I didn’t plant cedar or cypress because I’m not particularly fond of them, I did plant pecans, figs and blueberries for my kids. The ones I’m waiting to plant now are dogwoods!!! I love dogwoods! And Japanese Maples!! And one you guys should look into are Japanese Magnolias!!!
I’d love to plant an almond tree. We love almonds in our household.
I grew up with a Japanese Maple in my front yard and an oak in the back. I’d love to plant both one day when we’re in our forever home–one to look beautiful and one to climb. 🙂
I would plant a magnolia tree. My grandmother had one in her backyard and I remember looking out her window and seeing how beautiful it was every spring when it was in bloom. We would go to her house every Sunday for dinner. I would love to look out my kitchen window and see a tree that I planted with my children grow and blossom just as they will. And remind me of the beautiful memories that I have of my grandmother from my childhood.
We would plant a Lemon Tree! How much fun would that be?!
I would plant an apple tree!
A Dogwood! My mom tried for years to plant one, and it always ended up getting hurt – it was right in the middle of prime yard play space for two crazy kids (Sorry mom!).
We bought our first house last fall and we still have a ton of work to do in the yard, but I told my husband that I would LOVE to have a fruit tree in our yard. He has since promised me that once we’re ready to plant, we will get an apple tree! I’m so excited to pick fresh apples from my own yard to make jams, pies, and butters (instead of looking for craigslist ads of people wanting to get rid of their extra apples).
I would definitely go with a magnolia tree as well. So pretty!
Walnut would be cool, I think!
I’m with Mazzy on the pink blooming trees. We’re moving this summer and I already have a pink blooming dogwood tree planned for planting in our new yard. Cornus Kousa “Satomi” to be exact! https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=537
I would plant a dogwood tree. There are many in my neighborhood and I love the way they look. They are very pretty. There’s also a purple flowering tree in my neighborhood if I could find out what its called I’d love to plant it inmy front yard.
I’d love to plant a peach tree right next to the plum tree in my backyard!
I would plant an apple tree. I would love to have fruit trees that produce edible fruit.
When we’re able to buy a house one day, I’d like to plant a couple fruit trees, one definitely being a cherry tree. That way we not only have a tree to grow with but also yummy fruit. (I’m big on stuff with dual purposes, lol.)
Until then, my daughter’s god mother and I are going to get a community garden plot for her. We actually go to look at a couple next week! I’m so excited!
I would love to plant a Spanish Moss tree with my family someday. We live in Va Beach which isn’t the best place for that to grow, they are usually found in more swampy and warmer areas like Savannah, GA and NOLA. But my husband LOVES that type of tree b/c he hopes we can live in NOLA or Savannah one day. If we can’t, I’d love to bring that part to Va Beach.
I would love a pink dogwood. We had one in the front yard of our last house and I miss it. Though, I also love willow trees and I hear they suck up lots of water. My yard can get squishy…maybe I should get a willow.
Actually, I would love to plant a magnolia tree with my family! I’ve always loved them, but I didn’t know what they were called until about a month ago. I love their pink flowers and graceful branches!
Also, I just tweeted the little message. Not sure if you need to validate that or not, but I’m @rebeccamonica33. God bless you and your beautiful family, Mommy Shorts! Thank you for all of your inspiring and funny blog posts.
Magnolia’s are my absolute favorite trees (the flowers smell so good) and we have planted two of them. Apparently there are different types though because the only ones I knew about were the ones with the white blooms. Now I want a pink one for sure!
Birch tree! I love them! My husband and I planted one at our house for an anniversary. I love the multiple trunks, the shape of the leaves, and the texture of the papery bark!
I would also love to plant a magnolia tree. We visited my parents last weekend – their magnolia was in full bloom and it was just beautiful.
A sunset maple!
I’m totally with Mazzy on this one….a Magnolia tree all the way.
I have a couple of apple trees already so I would love a couple of cherry trees Next!
Since we moved into our house, we’ve planted an apple tree (named Justin, in honor of Justin Timberlake, who my daughter planned to marry), a lime (named Jose, for the margaritas) and a maple named Paul (for the Beatle). We also have a rose bush named Fluffy, as we found a cat skull in the ground when we went to plant. I have no explanation for why we name our shrubs and trees, but it does make it easier when watering (honey, did you water Justin this week?) I would plant an orange tree – we have the lime and a great lemon tree, but I love oranges and would love to smell those blossoms! And I would name it Reba, because she has red (orange?) hair. Thanks!
We would love a magnolia as well. They welcome spring with such cheer and smell heavenly.
We recently bought our house and had an apple tree right over our back patio. Unfortunately, the tree was hollow enough for chipmunks to climb through! We sadly had to cut it down a couple of months ago. I’m expecting my first baby in September and would love to plant a new apple tree for him to grow up with over the years!
I can’t choose just one tree! I would live to plant a lemon tree, a lime tree, a cherry tree, some pine trees.l, a pomegranate tree too!
I would love to plant a Magnolia as well. They were in our yard when I lived on a farm in Indiana and they have always been my favorite tree. Good luck with yours-hope it grows tall and strong 🙂
I tweeted from @karakay2004
I entered to win a $250 @landsend gift card via @mommyshorts! http://bit.ly/1PifJ6h #IAmLandsFriendly #earthday
Ahhhhhh, I wish a pink flowering tree would grow in hot hot Arizona. And that it would be approved by my HOA….
But for now we are trying to keep some pink roses alive…and we recently planted an ocotillo….which seems more like a cactus but I think it’s technically a tree.
An apple tree! My husbands favorite and the first fruit my daughter ever tried
I would plant a cherry blossom. Or Bradford pear!
An avocado tree would splendid!
I don’t even know if it would grow in my yard but I would love a lemon tree!
An apple tree would be amazing! Snacks and shade in one pretty package…
An orange tree would be nice!
We are nearing the end of building our house, and in the next week or two plan to do the landscaping. I hope to plant a weeping willow, a crape myrtle, and forsythia bushes. Hopefully it’s not too late in the year by the time we are cleared to plant!
My dad has a orchard so we grew up planting trees. I’d choose a peach tree.
A weeping willow tree!
I would love to plant an aspen tree as we just bought a new house last winter and had our first child. It would be neat to see it grow with our son.
So many exciting kinds of trees! I’d stick with a maple tree that would hopefully turn a beautiful shade of red each fall…I love fall.
I would love to plant a cherry blossom tree. I love the flowers, and think it’s gorgeous when in full bloom.
We actually have planted a tree. It is a red maple and I absolutely love it! 🙂
Oh man this really hits home for me. Growing up, on Long Island around blue point, we had a magnolia tree next to our driveway. My swing hung in when I was little. We have so many pictures with that tree. Communions, proms for my siblings, halloweens. To this day magnolia trees always catch my eye. Here in upstate ny though they’ll be blooming soon.
I would absolutely plant a magnolia tree for my son to grow up with.
I would plant a peach tree. We had one growing up with the most beautiful hot pink flowers.
We are expecting our first child this fall and I really love the idea of planting a tree that will grow alongside him or her. My neighborhood was full of dogwood trees when I was growing up (great for climbing) and I would love my children to enjoy one of their own as well.
We are expecting our first child this fall and I really love the idea of planting a tree that will grow alongside him or her. My neighborhood was full of dogwood trees when I was growing up (great for climbing) and I would love my children to enjoy one of their own as well.
I am totally in love with TULIP trees! They have the most beautiful big flowers. That is what I would plant. They make me smile.
We have a forest in our backyard, but not a single birch tree. My cottage is filled with birch trees, so I’d love to have one here at my house too – they remind me of amazing childhood summers.
I would love a beautiful oak tree. I don’t care what color, I just love how knotted and intricate oak trees are. Whenever you see an photo of a beautiful tree they are usually oak because of how the branches just expand and bend and knot. They are also very strong and can live through our harsh Minnesota winters. Maples may be pretty in the fall especially the Autumn Blaze Maple but the Oak tree has all the character.
Flowering dogwood is our favorite!
I’d love a simple, sweet cherry tree!
This may be my favorite post! Your story is poignant and inspiring.
Cherry Blossom or Magnolia!
I would love to plant a weeping willow in our backyard. We spend so much time in our yard in the Summer with our 3 little ones (4, 2 and 2 months) and I too would love to have a tree to grow with them. My father planted one at my childhood home and I drive past every year just to glimpse that tree…
We are planning to plant a peach tree in a few weeks and my kids are so excited about it!
I guess I should let my 3 year old pick! I am so doing this!
I tweeted!
I’d plant a cherry blossom tree. I have lived in and around DC my whole life and Cherry Blossom season is CRAZY! Growing up, our neighborhood would be lined with them. Living in the city and now the va suburbs, instead of battling the crowds down on the Tidal Basin, I’d just like to admire one from my front window.
I would plant a crape myrtle tree, they grow well in Texas and you can get ones with purple flowers which is my favorite. And I am dying over the dress on Harlow, I am 100% getting that for my 2 year old. It’s so cute and looks comfy and easy to play in too!
My hubby has always wanted to plant a fig tree in the backyard – I think my boys would love it!
I would like to plant a Heaven Scent Magnolia tree. It’s so beautiful!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/momofsuper4boys/status/591062426256154624
I want an Apple tree. We already have some cool ones like some cherry blossoms and a magnolia, I love those but it would be nice to branch into fruit trees.
I would love to plant a flowering dogwood. They the state tree of missouri, the state I live in, and I have always thought they were beautiful.
My favorite has always been Rose of Sharon trees, but we have lots of those already. I think I would plant a birch tree. Beautiful and unique.
Cherry blossom
Well, for sentimental reasons, it would be a willow – as I will forever remember my grandparents home with the HUGE willow trees. However, practically, for what will grow here, and not ruin our plumbing… an apple tree. They bloom beautifully, you can climb them, and if you’re lucky… you can eat the fruit.
ps. I’d LOVE a magnolia – the grandparents had those, too…but we’re too far north 😉
The magnolias look lovely! We are still apartment dwellers with hopes of land ownership quite far off, so I haven’t concretely planned. But I dream of having enough land around my home to plant a variety of fruit trees.
I would love to plant a fruit tree! Either apples or oranges! 🙂