Please cut me one only if you can spare a piece of Rosemary Russet. I have root stock to put it on.
Message me for address information, please.
From Burnt Ridge I ordered scions of Auvil Early Fuji, Montmorency, Rainier, Nishimura Persimmon, Desert King and Negronne figs today. I will get rootstock at grafting fests. I’m getting itchy grafting fingers! I cut another round of scions today only to get an unexpected downpour a few hours later. Oh well.
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I have never heard of the Rosemary Russet until you mentioned it. How does it taste?
I have never tried it, but it is said to rival Ashmead’s Kernal for flavor.
I liked the sound of it.
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I agree with you. I like the sound of the apple. I get myself suckered into buying apple trees because I like the name or the story behind the apple. I try to be better at not getting lured into buying them but I just can’t seem to help myself, especially if it is an heirloom apple.
Not complaining- just my weakness and I am used to it by now.
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Today, I finally ordered a budstick of the elusive Henry Clay apple of Kentucky.
Temperate Orchard Conservancy saved it from the Botner collection over the past few years. Their new mother tree was finally big enough to spare a twig for my grafting ambitions.
Supposed to be one of the more acceptable of the super-early eating apples. Purportedly superior to Lodi, Red Astrachan, and Yellow Trans. It won Tim Hensley’s taste test for that season before he passed away and his nursery went defunct.
One of the few varieties - like Calville Blanc - with highly pronounced ribbing.
Stark Bros pushed Henry Clay hard for decades. Then it mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet.
It shares the name of Senator Henry Clay - known to history as the Great Compromiser of the U.S. Congress - ALSO associated with Kentucky. Serving as Speaker of the House… and then Secretary of State… and later as Senator… Henry Clay led a life of endless historical interest vis-a-vis the development of the United States in that very formative and tumultuous time period-- however noble or controversial it might be viewed.
Strangely enough-- the apple itself was not named after Senator Henry Clay (at least not in a direct fashion). The apple WAS discovered in Kentucky, but legend says it was named after another local man: a Mr. Henry Clay Hunter of Caldwell County (Perhaps Mr. Hunter was named after Senator Henry Clay?). The apple was known to be in the possession of a Mr. W. H. Knight of Hopkins County, Kentucky no later than 1890… or at least so-says apple historian Mr. Lee Calhoun:
We’ll see if it’s any good… or if I’m just a sucker for all the hype.
With a name like Henry Clay-- I just have to try it.
I like a good early-season apple. They are refreshing on a hot summer day. Like “eating” your canteen’s worth of freshwater… if you can find one that isn’t too sour.
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How long do you usually give a seed company time to ship this time of year before you get impatient and blow their spot up?
I ordered about 50 bucks worth of impulsive seeds (so I just went for cauliflower, swears) from Baker Creek Thursday night and they haven’t shipped. I planted tomatoes in flats the same night and they are already sprouting. I frigging love sprouting seeds and cuttings. I know it’s a busy season, but I am getting really close to canceling my order and going to the hardware store for seeds.
It took 5 days from order to shipment notification from Baker Creek for me. I usually expect a bit of lag time when ordering from a catalog. I think that you are correct- if you have an immediate need for seeds, buy them locally if they are available.
I usually plan way ahead, but this year, I thought, hmmm flowers would be really nice. Then I bought asters, bachelor’s buttons, marigolds, snapdragons and petunias.
Oops.
They are probably saving me from getting my first flat of flowers getting frozen off anyway 
I decided to do a little decorative
work next weekend. I ordered 4 Sugar Maples and 4 Red Sunset Maple. A Babylonian Weeping Willow. And for Fruit Two Methley Plum…All seemed well suited to my area and i wanted to add a nice color for the fall…They will block seeing my neighbor on one end and line the drive…well part of it…It’s about 700 Yards. I think four nice big maples will get to looking good before i die…LOL…
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I want to have some god bee helpers next year and it can double as an erosion helper and be edible at the same time while producing beautiful scents and colorful flowers so I went with some Lantana Athens Rose, Rosemary Tuscan Blue and Lavender Munstead. They appear to be very Drought and heat tolerant so that’s great too… These will come next Spring…
Thinking to order Green gage plum, Montrose apricot, some russian pears if I can find some plants in nursery in Canada and spring satin plumcot. Maybe some apple, norkent seems interesting. They are some new varieties (rosinette and passionata, but I dont think they’re already available.
Count em…4 scions…big purchase.
Harrison, Ashmeades Kernal, Black Oxford, Wickson.
For some odd reason I planted a Ben Davis a while ago. No idea why. However, that tree will soon become my multi-graft experiment.
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Just thought I’d mention that the seeds didn’t ship late from Baker Creek, it’s the shipping notification that is slow. I wrote to ask them what was up and they came in yesterday’s mail and made me feel bad for even saying anything!
My free seeds were the same black cherry tomatoes as they sent last year and some red carrots which won’t go to waste. I didn’t try the tomatoes last year but I actually tried them this year and have the first plant sprouted.
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Just received my two Triumph muscadines from Bottoms Nursery. They are very nice plants with good roots and good length. I am pleased!
Katy
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How do they compare to the plants Isons ship?
Ison’s sells in two sizes and I always bought the larger two year old plants. Some of them would reach the wire at planting. My wire is at 5 1/2 feet. These are most likely equivalent to the one year plants from Ison’s. They will probably reach 2 1/2 to 3 feet after planting. Same price. Shipping prob equivalent.
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For those of you who are interested in pluerries, Bay Laurel have reduced prices on three of them. Their last shipping period is first of March, so I’d imagine in a couple weeks they’ll be done for the year.
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My Fedco order came recently.
Today I planted a pair of trees… employing the usual hillbilly-style raised beds made from sticks and rocks.
Nice roots on my Westcot apricot on Manchurian understock:
Westcot after planting:
I finally got the Black Ice plum (a.k.a. Lydecker plum). I planted it today on Prunus americana rootstock:
Despite the daffodils and forsythia blooming in the valley, it’s still brown and drab up on the mountain. It was very windy today. The competing air masses created a gale force up there. A tree was felled along the main road- bringing the power line down with it. I had to backtrack up the river hollow and take an alternate route home. I reported the roadblock to the county sheriff.
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Nice trees Matt. How far back do you cut them down? (If you do cut them)