What's happening today 2020

[subdood_ky_z6b]

True, but I’ve been off work for a while (but also looking for a job), so I’ve been doing the social distancing deal a long time before it was fashionable. I maybe go to town once a week, but my wife drives there every weekday for her job, although her hours have been cut back to 9 to 1, but still gets paid for the whole day.

Speaking of smelling the roses, on one of my peaches (Blushingstar), the blooms puts off a very nice aroma, also perfumey, no wonder the bees are hitting it hard. My wild plum started to bloom today, and already has that pungent smell to it. Not horrible, but not real pleasant either.

[chadspur]

Went around taking care of weeds and such this afternoon. Did some late trimming on a few figs. Tossed down some Epsom salt to halt some slug damage. We’ll see if it works…

Pomegranate flower buds forming.

Looks like blackberries are going to be ripening earlier than last year.

I trimmed my Compact Stella in December and used one of the cuttings to hold down some chicken wire over a small pawpaw. It ended up rooting and is now waking up. I’m curious how Compact Stella acts on its own roots.

[BlueBerry]

Planted 20 this past week. Have lots of little ones that didn’t bloom. (Takes 3 years from seed to first bloom.)

The cold? I had some sitting in quart and gallon containers in January 2015…waiting for the ground to thaw so could dig holes and plant them. It got down well below zero. Not a single one died in those pots sitting in the elements…they lived and I planted them when there was a thaw.
Today they are georgeous. For, with time, they keep looking better.

*Do note though, just like with apples, they come up with new names and new hybrids and patent or trademark them…reminds you of the “CLUB APPLES”…when seedling hellebores will do just fine and look great. (Just like old timey apples often are preferred if you give them a taste test.)

[Katie_didnt_Z4b]

Pretty amazing plant, that they take the cold like that. I’ll stop worrying about the cold hurting them- my kids trampling them sounds like the main threat now. Kids in the front yard, chickens in the backyard… bunnies everywhere. It’s always a struggle to keep things alive and where they’re supposed to be.

I’ll have to try them from seed, or maybe just let them naturalize. Can you separate the plants once they get to a certain size?

[northwoodswis4]

I have a relative in Indianapolis who has a large patch of Helleboruses. I have been trying to grow some here, but haven’t had much success. My first attempts died, so I tried again. Three of four are surviving, but that’s about all they are doing. I chose the hardiest-rated ones. The ones I have are in the Wedding Party series. Maybe they need more sun.

[zendog]

My hellebores are the type that bloomed back around the New Year - the “Christmas Rose” type. My Virginia bluebells that are right next to the hellebores (peeking in the bottom right corner) are the ones showing off now.

[ltilton]

I planted a few last year. One died, one just coming up with tiny sprouts, one has half-dozen buds ready to bloom

[BlueBerry]

Trampling…that might kill them.
But, bunnies won’t eat them and deer won’t either!

[BlueBerry]

Helleborus x Orientalis is perhaps the toughest hybrid, I know they do well in the coldest parts of West Virginia…but Minneapolis I don’t know, you might be pushing them.

[Reg]

Yup. Bastards!
There is also one somewhere in my bedroom that fell off my arm. Searched but didnt find it

[Reg]

The tree was not, with shipping it was more expensive but totally worth it

[subdood_ky_z6b]

Looks like most of the apples are waking up, either with fruit buds or leaf buds. Unfortunately, it looks like one of them may not make it, it’s a Winecrisp that was planted four years ago. The rootstock is G202.

I did the scratch under the bark test to see what color there was, and instead of green, I saw kind of a darker green, almost with a tint of brown. There’s really not even a hint of any leaf or fruit bud trying to emerge, so not looking good.

The tree had struggled to get going, it never really took off like most of the trees did, it’s still pretty much a skinny whip with a few little branches on it. I don’t know for sure what’s up, but perhaps it didn’t like the high water table it sits in when we have long periods of rain. The base was never visibly under water, but it would be nearby.

So, looks like my first tree has bit the dust. Now, I’m down to only 16 apple trees in the ground. But, I’ve got ten bench grafts going in the ground soon. Here are the grafts that I did a couple weeks ago that were potted up yesterday and got them under the grow lights.

Melrouge (improved, redder Melrose)

Spartan (a Mcintosh offspring)

Loriglow (a sport of Jonathan, discovered in KY)

Dayton (another disease resistant variety from the PRI team)

[subdood_ky_z6b]

Ok, got a little story I thought I’d share. As I had mentioned in previous posts, our four peach trees of various ages have all bloomed for the first time this year. So, if we can get through the next few weeks without any freezes, we might get our first crop of peaches.

Last night I was on the couch and was online, and thought I heard some rumbling outside. I had seen the radar a half hour before and there was a few cells headed our way, but nothing significant. Well, I then checked the radar again, and there was a big red blob showing up on radar to the west of us 20 miles or so, and headed our way. A big storm, looked like it may have hail in it, even.

My first thought was crap, I hope it doesn’t hail and strip off the blossoms from my peach and pear trees! Not, well, I hope it doesn’t damage our cars, or put holes in our siding, but don’t mess with my trees!

Well, the storm was getting closer and the thunder louder, and it looked like it was going to nail us, but a few miles west of us, it kind of split into two smaller cells, but one was still headed for us. It hit about 5 minutes later, and I heard small hail hitting the roof and deck, and was thinking, oh no.

I looked outside and it was maybe pea sized and didn’t last more than a minute or two. Within five minutes, the storm had passed after dumping some heavy rain. But, I was still worried about, you know.

So, I said I can’t wait until daybreak, I gotta go out and check things out now. I had on my pajama bottoms and a t shirt with no socks. So, I grabbed my spotlight and pulled on my muck boots and headed outside. At 12:30.

So, I checked things out, went to the back orchard, then trudged down to the barn, and shown the light on the trees. It looked like the trees made it okay, the blooms were still pretty much still there. The cars, and truck? Who cares.

Now, tell me I’m not a bit obssesed…

Now, all I have to worry about now are- more storms, freezes, plum curculio, OFM, brown rot, and the unseen menace of the tree devils, aka squirrels.

[TangTang]

My wife was inquiring about adding some new varieties of honeysuckle to the yard so I did some research before hitting up the nursery. Read that honeysuckle have relatively few pest/disease issues besides he occasional aphid infestation. It occurred to me that my gold flame honeysuckle hadn’t bloomed quite yet even though last week it looked ready. Went out to the yard for a look and yep, infestation. Gross. Grabbed the neem oil and went to work. Saw 3-4 ladybugs but I guess there was too many for them to handle. I hate aphids with a passion.

[TangTang]

In better news today the hardy kiwi is looking nice

[TangTang]

Love me some Monty Don
His two miniseries on Italian and French gardens are wonderful. Good Netflix watchin (also has his show Big Dreams, Small Spaces which is nice)

[ltilton]

It’s probably trying to find you!

[Katie_didnt_Z4b]

Yes, it’s good watching! Helps me get through the long winters. There’s a newish series- American gardens, but I’ve only been able to find 3 episodes. I was super excited to hear he had been here, made me feel proud. Not sure why it was a miniseries though. Would have loved more episodes.

[Katie_didnt_Z4b]

Looks like WineCrisp Apple bit the dust. Not sure if anyone else this far north has grown it- This was a mild winter but my first thought is maybe it couldn’t take the cold because there are no signs of damage. Who knows.

[NuttingBumpus]

“Key flowers” - is that a type of primrose?