They were replaced by the teensy tiniest Japanese bloodgood maples. I'm now accepting bets for how long it will take for one of the neighbor kids to hang on them and damage them.
This picture also serves as proof that there is absolutely no reason to water your lawn in the summer. It comes back just fine in the fall! I highly recommend digging holes on Thanksgiving weekend. All the rain makes the ground very soft and the extra turkey weight helps with the shoveling.
I also did some planting in the side yard: shade loving ferns, bleeding hearts, and hostas.
No trampy ferns in my yard. These ferns are *ladies*.
