is hopefully what we'll be eating this fall.
The "supposed to be" dwarf grafted apple tree is blooming.
They are the sweetest smelling and beautiful flowers.
This is by far the most blooms I've ever seen on it. I've been reading that the cold winter we had was good for the fruit trees, and would help them to set more fruit.
There are 5 varieties grafted on here. Unfortunately all the tags have fallen off over time and I can only remember one of the branches, Gala. I think I remember this one because it was the first branch to produce fruit. Maybe some apple aficionados will be able to help identify the apples when they are ripe.
The varieties are:
Gala
Chehalis
Akane
Melrose
and an unknown.
Now I just hope that the apple maggots don't find them. I'm going to see what type of traps I can find, I want to keep my yard pesticide free.
Until then I get to look out my kitchen window at these pretty flowers.
Ours are not as full as yours, they are such pretty blooms. Here's hoping we can both harvest apples!!
ReplyDeleteI can almost feel the aroma... Apple trees remind me of my childhood. Thanks, Catherine!
ReplyDeleteApple blossoms are so pretty! I have a citrus tree grafted with four different kind of citrus and like you, took the labels off and forgot which limb is which! We'll just have to wait and see!
ReplyDeleteYour apple blossoms are so pretty. It is going to be neat to see how they grow and what they taste like!
ReplyDeleteLucky you, to have such a wonderful tree. I hope the apple maggots behave themselves, that you have a great fruit set, and keep on enjoying those glorious blooms. We're about a month from normal bloom time, but with this sudden heat wave, who knows what will happen.
ReplyDeleteYour trees are much larger and straighter than mine. I only have one. A dwarf Jonathan Apple Tree about 15 years old now. It had a lovely bunch of blossoms on it this year and I was able to post some. I really thought they were nice as you do your blossoms.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, These are heavenly blossoms - so pretty! I love apples so much. Each year in the Fall, we ride about 30 min. north of here to Elijay GA (which claims to be Apple Capital of the World!!) One of my favorites is Jonagold for eating raw and it is available here in August. I hope you have lots of apples. It will be fun to follow your progress. Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers on it are so pretty - you took a beautiful close up. Well, yea it's got Chehalis apples - now they have to be good named after such a pretty little town! LOL I don't suppose that counts huh?
ReplyDeleteWhen is a dwarf not a dwarf? Oh, well, what a lovely healthy tree. Great pics of the delicate blossoms. We really want fruit trees here but we'll have to plan accordingly for the large gourmet deer that are on constant patrol here. Will be fun to watch your fruit come in - keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteCatherine~~ I have always loved apple blossoms. How they start out flushed in pink to the "snowstorm" when spring's breezes blow the soft petals everywhere. Here's to a bumper crop of sweet, crispy, maggot free fruit.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea fruit trees were grafted with so many different varieties Catherine?!! That's quite a feat and makes for an interesting specimen. The blossoms are beautiful. I'd love to have a similar tree in my yard. The thought of picking fruit from my own yard is pretty enticing. I hope you can keep the apple maggots away too!
ReplyDeleteI love apple trees. Apart from the blossom, I really like the 'gnarly' trunks when they get some age to them. Couple this with those that develop a weeping habit and I think they are just the best tree.
ReplyDeleteRob
Catherine you can just grow anything! I tell ya! I didn't think we could grow apples in zone 8...but Darla is, so I guess I can too! Apple maggots...ugh not a good thought. Do you spray them to keep them away? How does that work?
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful blooms. I really should get a flowering apple of some kind, just for the blooms alone.
ReplyDeleteWow! A beautiful tree, I'm so afraid the grafted one won't make it up here so I shy from buying them, Luck be with you.
ReplyDeleteCatherine - You have some beautiful blooms on your apple trees. Hope you have lots of apples to eat. I don't have one but I need an apple tree.
ReplyDeleteHappy gardening... Becca
Now you're making me sad. I can't grow apples here (but love apples). We used to have an apple tree with several grafts, but that's when I lived in a more northern climate.
ReplyDeleteDarla - I hope we both get lots too! I bet yours will be ready a lot earlier.
ReplyDeleteTatyana - We had a big one in the yard that I grew up in, I remember climbing it.
Sheila - I wish I could grow citrus here. I can't wait to see what you have on yours!
Tina - I can't wait. We've only gotten apples from a couple of the branches so far, hopefully this year they'll all fruit.
Jodi - I hope they listen to you :) I saw that you had quite a few blooms there!
Abe - I'm going to go look for your apple blossom pictures. They are nice trees whether they give fruit or not.
Mildred - That sounds fun. Maybe you'll share pictures when you go. Eastern Washington is a very big apple producer too.
Linda - Maybe you'll know which on the Chehalis ones are then? :) I don't think I've been there yet.
Bonnie - Well this trunk is short, but the apple tree top is huge and it's a pretty young tree. I imagined it being a lot smaller than it is. It must be hard gardening with deer. I know they can even jump the large fences people put up.
Grace - I love your description of them. I hope to show lots of apples this fall, 5 varieties :)
Kathleen - Can you grow apples there? They graft lots of trees here with multiple varieties of fruit for people that don't have the space for more than one.
Rob - We have lots of old apple trees around here, our neighborhood had been an apple orchard. Most of the yards have at least one, except us. I hope we live here a long time and can see the tree develop character.
Dirt Princess - You should see if any varieties could grow there. There are so many different varieties. You just need to make sure you have the right ones to cross pollinate.
Dottie- You really should. I think it's worth growing for the flowers and nice scent, and as Rob said they develop really nice character as they age.
Dawn - Thanks! I didn't realize we were so lucky to grow them here. I kind of forget that some things don't grow everywhere.
Becca - You have those nice peach trees. I hope you get lots from them. Maybe an apple could grow there. I hope so.
Prospero - Don't be sad :) You can't grow many things I can't grow here. I bet you can grow a lot of really delicious fruit there.
Those are pretty blooms. Wish I could smell them!!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, I love apple trees and yours with all the varieties is a beauty. Have you ever seen the big red ball thing that gets painted with sticky stuff to trap the insects? I seem to remember that from a very old Victory Garden episode on PBS. I hope you get tons of apples on your supposed to be dwarf tree. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Now I've learned the difference between pear and apple blossom!
ReplyDeleteI agree, apple blossoms are so beautiful and I love their fragrance as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat?, 5 different varieties on one tree? How cool is that! It is a delicate bloom and what a treat.
ReplyDeleteThe apples in NC grow best in our mountains because of the cold winters. So I bet your cooler temps did make it happen.
Susie - They really have such a nice sweet scent.
ReplyDeleteFrances - Thanks for the suggestion. I will look for something like that. I have heard of sticky traps and I bet that's what your talking about.
Phoenix - They are both really pretty, but I must say I favor the apple :)
Sweet bay - I love how the pink buds open to white flowers.
Anna - Pretty neat isn't it? I hope we have all 5 varieties to try this year. I think the cold winter is helpful. Eastern Washington is known for producing a lot of apples and they have a much colder winter than we do.
Lovely blooms. We returned to find ours full of blooms, too. I have no idea what kind our is though. It was here when we bought the house and last season it really kicked it in gear after a few years of us getting it back in shape. Have you spotted any tent caterpillars? I saw one on our garage the other day. Blecht!
ReplyDeleteMy appletrees are a bit later than you's. I think this is one af the best things about spring, all the trees in bloom spreading such great smell over our gardens / gittan
ReplyDeleteApple Blossom looks so lovely like little pink and white faces. Hopefully you have a good crop of apples.
ReplyDeleteMelanthia - Do you get apples on your tree? I haven't seen any tent caterpillars yet, but I've found wasp nests already. Hopefully neither will be a problem.
ReplyDeleteGittan - I agree with you. The flowering trees and the scent they share is really nice!
Joanne - They really do have the prettiest color. I hope we have lots of apples too.
What beautiful pictures. I'm so jealous of anyone who has apple trees in their yard.
ReplyDeleteI am one of your new followers. I loved these photos...can't wait for our apple trees to bud and bloom. We live in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan (across from Canada and Lake Superior)...so we aren't blooming yet.
ReplyDeleteMy whole front yard is full of apple trees, so I can't wait!!
The Retirement Chronicles