Necta zee and creepin phlox. The whole yard was buzzing today!
13 Likes
I finally divided mine on a whim a couple of weeks ago, and its coming up now too.
It’s the first usable thing from the orchard each year. It is exciting.
5 Likes
I know Bradford Pear is pretty, but it’s also invasive. Fortunately they’re easy to kill. Just chop at the base and paint with glyphosate concentrate.
If it’s bees you’re after, you’d get way more with some native trees/shrubs like Wild Plum and Serviceberry.
1 Like
One of my grafted Shiro branches. Second year after graft. 2023 graft.
5 Likes
These are where our peaches are here. Not the best pic but you get the idea. I found a few blossoms though.
6 Likes
Flavor Grenade Pluot fruit set.
4 Likes
My huge pear tree is about to bloom, it’s flower clusters are about to pop open. Pluots are starting to bloom.
Two other of the pears are showing some bud clusters, as well as our wild plum.
Still haven’t seen any peach buds, unless they’re way up in the tree and I can’t see them. Two of my peaches are very large and have grown up as well as out. I planted them about 18ft apart 8 years ago and some of their branches are now touching each other.
1 Like
Ours are planted on top of a ridge, almost south facing, in some pretty light soil. I think it used to be a feed lot. The planting spot might be a recipe for late frost to kill most of the he blooms but I knew peaches need good soil so they got planted there. I’d rather have peaches twice a decade than never.
2 Likes
Yeah the two peaches I’m talking about are just below our barn, and there used to be livestock in that area, so it’s plenty fertile. The other fruit trees I’ve planted there have done really well, as opposed to some I put up behind our pond. The soil there isn’t as good and the trees have struggled, especially the apples. The two peaches up there aren’t nearly as large.
Peaches are a crap shoot here, most years you won’t get any because of the late freezes. Sometimes the apples get hit hard too.
If you want to see a really nice orchard, you should check out a place called Reed Valley, between Paris and Cynthiana. The Reeds retired and a younger family run it now, I think it’s called Stepping Stone Farm. But they have hundreds of apple trees, quite a few pears and a few peach trees. They also grow all kinds of berries and veggies as well.
1 Like
Been there each year for the past three years. I like them a lot. They have good blueberries too. And Asian pears. It’s about an hour away from us.
2 Likes
Yeah I wish they were closer to us, it’s about a 2 hour drive for us. We used to go at least once a year, mostly for apples and pears in October. For an aspiring orchardist, it’s awe inspiring.
We went once in July right at the end of blueberry season, the had their massive nets up to keep the birds out.
1 Like
I want those nets so bad lol
1 Like
I’ve got one sprouting from seed now!! Exciting!
2 Likes
My Nanking cherries are usually the first to bloom in my garden.
14 Likes
The flowers are beautiful. How do you like the taste of Nanking cherries ?
1 Like
The birds got it all last year so we haven’t tasted it yet. Hopefully there’ll be more this year and we’ll get a taste before they get them all.
2 Likes
Shouldn’t be too hard to net.
1 Like
We are in VA Zone 7a/b
Cot-N-Candy Aprium was our first tree to bloom on 03/14
Followed by Nanking Cherries on 03/14 as well
Nadia Cherry Plum - started blooming for us on 03/19
Spring Satin Plumcot
Suppose to be Shiro:
Cocktail tree:
Sweet Treat:
Bonanza Peach (probably a mislabeled white fleshed Flory)
Other peaches and nectarines are open, as well as the Santa Rosa Plums as well.
18 Likes
That 
is so cute. Is it a real cat?
2 Likes