Have you noticed how plants at garden shops sell out earlier and earlier each year? I can remember not so long ago we were able to find what we wanted well into June. Now, even though the ideal planting time for our region is around Memorial Day, tender annuals are gone by Mother's Day - if not before.
For that reason, I spent a good portion of my morning prowling the aisles of one of the local garden shops looking for basic annuals. I was in luck and came home with morning glories, zinnias, snapdragons, and petunias. It was too early for asters so I'll have to go back for those. However, with what I found I know we will have a succession of bloom in the garden. Spring flowers are almost spent, perennials will cover late May, June, and early July, and today's annuals coupled with the bulbs I planted over the weekend will get us through August and into fall.
Back to spring, though. D has worn me down, and I have agreed to let him chop down the apple tree in the backyard. I love it because D dug it up from the old farm land on which our development was built and part of which was still undeveloped behind our house when we moved it. I like that history and continuing the connection with the original farm. Its bloom and sweet perfume endears it to me, also. However, it carries a fungus (or something infectious and bad for trees) that spreads easily to some of D's bonsai so it has to go. Here are the last photos of that tree in bloom:
Even though it is not fully open, it does look pretty behind our garden. The following ones are close ups of the blooms themselves in the mid and upper tree.
And the next photograph is very special. This is the first time D's bonsai apple tree has bloomed. I ran out and took this picture today in the rain because I was afraid the rain would damage the blossoms if I waited for better weather.
Next year, the only apple trees in our backyard will be the bonsai ones, and I hope they will be healthier.
It's too bad that the large apple tree had to be cut down - but fungus isn't a good thing. And D must be doing a lot right to get that little tree to bloom. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI share your dismay at losing a tree so lovely as your apple. We, too, had to cut down a favorite white birch that grew to monstrous size within 8 years. The beauty of the bark thrilled me each season. But unlike your specimen, the need to remove was not subtle. Nary a leaf developed this year, and branches kept dropping. It's down now, and I shall have to think about it's replacement. The stewartia remains high on our list, but the clay soil may not be porous enough for tree health (and the cost of the tree suggests caution). The nursery salesperson suggested digging a hole and filling it with 5 gallons of water. If it doesn't drain in 20 minutes forget the tree. (But then our local tree guru suggested we could dig deeply, put a substantial amount of gravel in the hole before amending the rest of the soil for planting the tree.).
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