Unfortunately, I did not pause to document the seemingly herculean task, moving a fifteen feet tall, red leafed contorted filbert (Corylus avellana ‘Red Dragon’) from its overcrowded and overly shaded position beside a ‘Bracken’s Beauty’ magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Beauty’) in front to a slightly more sunny and open spot in the back garden. With branches extending well into the magnolia, I did not quite realize the size of the filbert, or perhaps I would have left it to eventually fade into the magnolia’s spread.

Not bad for an old timer. You’d be impressed to watch as I lugged the single trunked shrub the long way around to avoid breaking its fragile corkscrew branches, though more likely you’d wonder why this idiot didn’t cart it in the wheelbarrow. Once I am determined to begin a project, I must forge ahead without delay. No rest, no water, and certainly no stopping for photos.

No doubt, other projects will be inspired by the lull of winter, but this was overdue. Planted two decades earlier, both filbert and magnolia barely registered in the open space at the time. Of course, I was aware that the magnolia some day would grow to fifty feet, but many decisions in the garden are made knowing a change is inevitable, in weeks or decades. I expect other winter projects will not require similar, legendary descriptions.