And Hope is the name of a downy serviceberry, a tree that will soon give us one of our first tree blooms of the year.
Ibolya met Hope in spring of 2011 when LEAF came to plant her, and it was love at first sight. The whole family admired the lovely little white flowers that appeared that spring, around the same time the tree started to put out leaves.
Ibolya fosters many trees in her yard and was looking for one to fill up a small gap in her garden. Her husband was dubious about yet another in the backyard. But Ibolya was determined. With a little help, they finally agreed on the right tree for their space and now both appreciate the extra privacy that it provides.
Even Kahlua, Ibolya’s 13-year old chocolate lab, has struck up a close friendship with the tree: “I spend a lot of time lying beneath Hope’s branches, keeping watch over this wonderful garden! We all admire the way the trees sway in the wind, refusing to break, and the way they sparkle after the rain.”
“I think the name ‘Hope’ fits this tree very well,” says Ibolya. “It is providing us with the hope of better things to come. And there is always hope in watching something grow that will last for many years to come, if not a lifetime.”
Find out more about serviceberries like Hope.