By Mary Reid Barrow

You wouldn’t be far off to say that Bob and Janice Wells’ Alanton yard was an arboretum!

A diverse array of close to 50 species of trees and shrubs grow around their home and driveway. There’s a woodland path out back and more trees over in the side yard along the water.

Trees range from red oaks, some as old as 150 or more years, to a more recently planted gingko that is Janice Wells’ favorite tree.

It’s a favorite of Bob’s too, especially in the fall when the leaves turn from bright green to bright yellow almost overnight and then drop to the ground almost all at once too.

“I love standing in the yard and having the yellow leaves fall all over my face like rose petals,” Bob said.

Bob, a long time LRNow board member, and Janice moved to their home in 1989. Built in the 1950s, the house has had three other owners, and the yard reflects how Alanton grew from farmland to neighborhood starting in the fifties.

Big natives, like red oaks, pines and more, stood as sentinels round the edges of farm fields while other native and more unusual species were added by homeowners through the years.

In addition to the gingko, a hawthorn, dogwood, tupelo river birch and fringe tree also are among the trees the Wells have planted as they lived there. All are favorites of Bob’s. He loves the fringe tree too.

“When its blossoms get wet, the limbs bend down so much you have to duck to walk under it!”

The red maple outside the window where he and Janice often sit with their evening cocktail is an autumn standout.

“I’m always amazed at how beautiful and burgundy that tree is in the fall,” Bob said.

Yet another favorite is a native oakleaf hydrangea. Bob’s niece, Clare McMurry, loves it so much that she asked to have her wedding photos taken in front of the hydrangea in full bloom.

Perhaps the star of the show is the huge red oak in the middle of their patio where Janice and Bob sit in the shade on hot summer days. Their friend, Victoria Hillier, took the photo at the top. The tree also is a favorite of the “boyz” one of which Bob snapped the other day feeding on treats.

Tim Nuckols, who owns Nuckols Tree Service, said they have been doing their best to keep the tree healthy and trimmed of all the dead wood.

“All in all, it’s a beautiful yard,” said Tim, who has been caring for the Wells’ trees for more than two decades now.

When they lose a tree, more often than not Bob asks him to replace it, he said. A few years back, Tim identified a “peanut butter tree” that arrived in the arboretum out of nowhere as glory bower trees are wont to do.

“He got so excited when I crushed up the leaves and they smelled like peanut butter,” Tim said.

“Bob is a good man and upright citizen,” Tim said, “and he loves his trees!”

Whether an ancient red oak or a peanut butter tree, it’s the Wells Arboretum, for sure, with a tree or shrub for everyone and every squirrel.