I planted them late fall, later than normally advised and with the far harsher than normal winter on the east coast, expected they had died.
2 weeks ago we saw buds. Last week we saw a few greening bits. Today, literally overnight one burst into bloom and the other looks like it will tomorrow. Grin, YEAH!Lettuce busting loose too.
If you want to have strong healthy apple trees, as soon as they set fruit, you'll be out there pulling them all off this 1st season!!
Tom J
Yeah, fruit trees are beginning to blossom in the NE.
Wow, you grow lettuce in your bra! LOL
My apple trees have buds with a few blosoms shining all pink and white. I have one cherry tree that has many blosoms. This is their first spring in my garden. All dwarf with the exception of the one I started by seed last year. It's still growing with putting out new leaves and that's all I expect from it for a couple years.
But for the past couple of mornings, including this morning, it is below freezing out. I'm in the Pacific NW and while it does still snow, freeze this time of year, I'm hoping it won't affect my plants and trees. I do have them protected so they should be ok.
Donna in WA
That makes sense Tom. I can enjoy the booms in the meantime but this first year after being planted they need their root development to be the main thing. These are both semi-dwarf ones (over head lines etc, didnt want too big).
One is a granny smith and the other a yellow delicious. They are recommended good cross pollenators. Both in the front yard, about 20 feet or so apart.
Heheh well it's my only 2 fruit trees and the only apples anyplace nearby so the neighbors are all wandering up to make a happy glance (friendly neighbors, not a problem!).
Snicker, container garden. I'm trying spinach and broccoli too for the first time. I have 6 tomatoes in a container and 2 in the yard. The Sweet William is burting with glorous flowers too!
I'm thinking to put in some lilac along the side of the house.
"Lelandite" wrote
Whootness! (Thats a kid saying today). I'll skip the cherries as they are such a mess but they sure do look pretty!
Hopefully!
Here it's greening up nicely after a hard winter.
Take a look at the double flower fruits. That have flowers but are sterile. I have a weeping crab apple and a few cherries about trying to extend magnolia bloom and Dogwood and Kousa . Look at Stewardia and Franklinia too. The later go into August here with flowers.
Anyone know of a chart with blooming time for flowering trees ?
I like evergreens for foundation shrubs, they soften the starkness of masonary where the building meets the ground all year... I'd place lilac away from the house, perhaps near the road and/or at property lines to offer some privacy during warm seasons when people are about. Lilac loves full sun, it can grow large and with judicious pruning becomes dense. Shrubs that produce sweet smelling flowers also attract bees, so you want to place them away from where people congregate outdoors and from where doors and windows are apt to be opened.
My Indian Crab Apple (double flower bloom) is just now opening up. It is so beautiful with it's bright magenta, maroon color. I can a Dogwood but it's had one heck of a life for only being a few years old. So no flowers until it grows quite a bit more.
I may have a chart in my gardening book re blooming time for flowering trees. Will post if I do.
Donna in WA
Do you know offhand of a site that lists types of apples and good cross pollinators? I think I am going to plant at least three apple trees this year.... (Also two cherries. There are two very ratty ornamental cherry trees at the new house now, and eventually I want to replace them with fruiting cherries. My plan, perhaps bad, is to place the latter near the former and wait until the get a bit more mature....)
Oh, tell me about evergreens for foundation plantings (sigh). The new house has hydrangeas in front of it, and it looks hideous. I learned the lesson about flowering shrubs at my parents' house. We had to wend our way past the swarming bees to get to the door. Ack!
cornus kousa blooms for 2 months here in Milwaukee zone 5. well, it bracts. Ingrid ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago
There were a bunch of them. One I noted was the crab apple seems to be workable for almost all types.
Oh, good. There are two crab apples at the new house. That list will be very useful, because I also want to get two fruiting cherry trees, which will eventually replace the tortured non-fruiting ones that are currently there.
Thank you!
snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com...
Sir Can I have a copy of Bloomin Chart, I will be grateful Shah shahwin at gmail.com
I have one cherry tree that has many blosoms. This is their first spring
in my garden. All dwarf with the exception of the one I started by seed last year.
Hi Tomj, This is a very old message. 9 April 2010.
It's a followup to one sent 24 October 2009 when I planted these 2 trees. "I just planted 2. One is a Yellow Delicious semi-dwarf and the other is a Granny Smith. They are about 15 ft apart."
I lost track of this group when Cox removed newsgroups. Someone just mentioned it in the home repair newsgroup and I went 'oh yeah!'.
You were right. They fruited like crazy but we carefully enjoyed the blooms then removed all the fruit. There were probably at least 20 on the yellow delicious and at least 5 on the granny smith.
Now it's time for their second winter. They've grown a bit but not hugely nor did I expect that. As they are still filling out, I think no trimming this fall. They are both about 6ft tall. We had to use some mild apple tree sprays on them for a leaf mold in spring when it was wetter than normal but otherwise nothing. In spring we'll do more fruit tree spikes (just a few, let'em reach natures point mostly).
Ok to let 1-2 fruits this next year try to develop?
Yes you can let a juvenile apple tree mature a couple of fruits, if it pleases you. How will you feel if animals or guests pinch the fruit?
I have a handful of mature fruit trees (apple, pear, apricot) that had been neglected for years and were producing scant nasty tasting fruits. After a few years of cleaning up all debris, pruning, and just a single application of a minimal quantity of fertilizer, this year all trees except one produced excellent fruit. The one I think is a feral recruit from seed. It flowers well in a shady location (!), so for now I am leaving it for its ornamental value and as a pollinator for the others.
The prunings I saved for use in a smoker and now we are enjoying fruit wood smoked meats. Yum!
This year I planted some cherry trees. They will need pruning for shape over the next few years. If I stay on top of it, their pruning will consist of little more than pinching buds. It is exquisite work, kind of like bonsai. Many minutes of contemplation, then cut in an instant. I am considering using wire wraps, a bonsai shaping technique, on the apples to turn some suckers into replacement limbs that grow just where I want them.
I have a long fence now decorated with virginia creeper. I want to put grape vines there. Probably animals will get most of the fruit, but the fence is on a property line and the neighbors have a dog. The dog might help guard the fruit.
Una
"cshenk" wrote
Followup, they survived well and we left 1 fruit on each though they didn't come to full size.
Now, they are fallow in winter. In 2 months, (maybe less, weather depends) we will see shoots and flowers erupt all over them. I can't wait!
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.