Some of the trees I’ve planted or grafted the past few years have lots of flower buds now. I wonder if we’ll get a first taste!
Almost open - Sweet treat pluerry. Covered with buds,
Swelling - Salish peach.
First leaf, so it’s a stretch - Maxie pear. Multiple flower buds. This was a very large container tree, end of season sale in December.
First leaf, Nadia even more of a stretch, but even one fruit would be fun. A few flower buds.
Five years old - Sunflower and NC1 pawpaws.
Ember Plum graft.
Hanska Plum graft. Prunus americana - seed grown, 4th year
Seedling genetic dwarf peach - 4th year, tiny bush
Jonathan apple.
This year the 3-year old Hollywood plum cuttings are covered with flower buds. I already know how they will taste, the cuttings were from my tree, but still exciting since I started the cuttings.
Persimmons had flowers last year but did not take - Saijo and Nikitas gift. Maybe this year? Also Yates American Persimmon, but probably too small.
Maybe Rescue and Orcas pears - not sure about the buds, trees are 4th leaf.
It’s a lot of new fruits to try. I’ll be happy if only few actually bear fruit, and if most do, that will really be great.
The American plum is there to pollinize cross intercontinental hybrids like Ember and Hanska. I like the fruits but most people would not. They are small, yellow, watery with an astringent peel. As for bloom time, Sweet Treat appears to be at the same stage, or close, to Methley, Hollywood, and Toka - very early. Maybe same time as Crimson Spire P. cerasifera plum. Maxi is earlier than any of my Euro or Asian pears, might overlap with Hosui.
One of the most exciting times of the year is when the blooms start appearing, especially the first timers. I hope you do wind up getting at least a few first tastes from the young ones. Watch out for critters later. They seem to have a special sense for just which fruits we’re most eagerly anticipating.
I’ve got mixed feelings out in the orchard. On the one hand I’m super excited to see the buds swelling and ready for bloom, on the other, intellectually I know it would be better if they bloomed later.
I used to worry about things blooming in March, now its February.
murky you are right about that. Im guessing my Asia derived stone fruits - Asian plums, peaches, hybrids - are couple weeks ahead of last year but I need to check my records. As we move into Spring, I am less worried than I was a month ago. All we can do is wait.
i did wonder if mulching would keep the ground cooler this time of year, and I have added more woid chip mulch to most of my trees.
Currently, the peaches are just at barely visible pink, the Toka buds are out but no open blossoms, and the Crimson Pointe has a couple of open flowers.
Looking at previous years’ flowering helps with my anxieties about this year. We might be a week or two earlier than last year, maybe, but it doesn’t look like in SW Washington we are months ahead. Kind of reassuring.
Fortunately, the weather stayed warm.