We have a dwarf 5 way grafted apple tree, there are 5 varieties of apples grafted onto a dwarf rootstock. While it's fun to have so many types of apples on one tree, it does make for a strangely shaped tree. Almost every year we have problems with worms in the apples and since I don't want to spray with pesticides, this year I'm trying Coddling moth traps to see if it makes a difference. The moths are lured to the trap which contains Tanglefoot. Tanglefoot is very sticky and the moths then aren't able to leave to lay their eggs.
'Duke' our most productive Blueberry. 'Bluecrop' has been by far the least productive. This year it seems to be the only with no buds.
'Jersey' Blueberry is just now sending out the flower buds.We grew 5, now 6 varieties. The newest variety are Pink Blueberries! Can you tell we love Blueberries? To me there is nothing better than blueberries picked fresh from the bush. I was a bit worried earlier that there were no flower buds. Normally the flowers come first with the leaves coming after. This year it seems to be in reverse order for some reason. I guess I'll blame it on the weather ☺
One of our dwarf Pear trees, 'Comice'. The other is an 'Orcas'. When we learned about pear trees we discovered that like many other fruits you need two varieties to cross pollinate. It's important that the the varieties bloom at about the same time. We also found varieties that are known to do well in this part of the Pacific Northwest. This is only their second full year in our garden so we're hoping that this year we might get a few pears. They look so pretty right now covered in white fluffy flowers.
Currant (Ribes rubrum) 'Wilder Red' is actually growing under a Cedar tree and does really well there. Each year it produces lots of red currants, they aren't one of my favorites but they sure are pretty when they are bright red and hanging in clusters.We also grow a Fig 'Desert King' which has just barely begun to show leaf buds and strawberries which won't have flowers for another month or so. The Meyer Lemon tree which we brought indoors when the weather got cool still has a few lemons left trying to grow. One of them is about quarter sized, and I'm crossing my fingers it can hang on until I put it back outside in a couple of weeks.
Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie at Tootsie Time each Friday. Visit her to join in or to see who else is "flaunting their flowers."
Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie at Tootsie Time each Friday. Visit her to join in or to see who else is "flaunting their flowers."
It's my dream to grow at least all the famous berries like gooseberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, etc., and luckily nature gave me a headstart by giving me one as a weed!
ReplyDeleteA multi-fruiting Apple? Wow! Sounds cool. The Redcurrant leaves look like celery leaves or is it the angle in which the photo was taken? I looked it up online and wikipedia shows this wonderful photo with clumps of shiny red berries hanging down the plant. How exotic!
May all your fruit trees/plants/vines thrive and kindle your taste buds with their juicy pulps!
Dear Catherine, You are not only a remarkable flower gardener but you clearly also excel at fruit growing to which these images are testament. I am sorry to hear that you have some pest problems as there is nothing better than picking and eating fruit straight from the tree. I do very much hope that you will find an acceptable, ecofriendly solution.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting me good wishes prior to my recent break. Such kindnesses are very much appreciated and do not pass unnoticed.
By the way, what is an LPN? My warmest wishes for a happy Easter.
I hope you get apples this year. I remember that tree and it sounds cool. Have you thought of wrapping the entire tree in a fine mesh net? Not sure if it would work but it does on some things. Our fruit trees are blooming too. Happy Easter to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteChandramouli, And here we dream of growing tropical fruits like pineapples and kiwis and mangos:)
Ack! Your final paragraph about your Meyer lemon tree caused a light bulb to go off in my head...I can have citrus again since I have a greenhouse. Duh. Your apple tree sounds so cool and I didn't know pears had to cross pollinate, so I learned something new. Oh, man, I love the arrival of spring.
ReplyDeletePink blueberries? I can't wait to see them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love grafted fruit trees. The pink blueberries are very intriguing to me, since as a general rule, I don't eat blue food lol.
ReplyDeleteOh, I want a fig for my front yard. Some day! Does it grow well and do you get enough fruit from it? We have what I think is a pear tree in our front, but it didn't have fruit last year, so I'm not certain. It has clusters of white flowers, but there is only one, so maybe that is why there was no fruit. I would love a Meyer lemon tree too, but I don't know if I want to trundle it in and out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post about your fruit!
Hi Catherine
ReplyDeleteGood luck trapping those moths!
Pink blueberries, well why not.
Have a wonderful weekend.
How wonderful to have 5 different varieties of apples on one tree. I love what they can do with grafted fruit trees nowadays :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter!
Fruit just seems to get on with it Catherine whilst the vegetables need so much fussing over,probably because they are not perennials. Hope that you enjoy lots of tasty crops later this year:)
ReplyDeleteHello dear Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI too wish that I could've made it to Seattle and had you and your girls in the gathering.
Things have been hectic and I leave next week for Minneapolis to work with classrooms of children who I am teaching about gardening. Yeah!
These photo are lovely and inspiring. I've had trouble tagging my multi-grafted trees and am now using little tin markers, which I tie onto each tier of the trees. They look neat.
Sending love and wishing we had seen each other,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
Hi Catherine. Cannot wait to see your pink blueberries. Does the 5 Apple tree have different color of blooms on one tree? Sorry you are getting cold weather. It has been summer here the last two days. 85 degrees today. I was painting my little shed and digging a new bed in front of it for a Friendship garden and now I have red arms and a Rudolph nose and it looks like aloe and Ben-Gay will be my friend tonight. LOL!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.
Oh, I so wish I had room for another treet, especially a fruit tree. I will watch yours as they grow and produce.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for visiting! We are having lots of wind here now. I'm hoping we don't lose power.
ReplyDeleteEdith Hope - LPN stands for Licensed Practical Nurse. We are trained to do many of the same things as a Registered Nurse; IV's, injections, and direct patient care, etc.
When the Pink Blueberries are ripe I will definitely show pictures.
Catherine,
ReplyDeleteUntil about 4 months ago I'd never heard of Comise Pears. Our co op sells them big and juicy, so yummy too. Hope you get many fruits!
Hope you have lots of fruit!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blossoms! You inspire me to plant more fruit. We have three apple trees and two apricots. The pear fell over after a wet, wet summer a few years ago. I hated to see it go. I'd love to plant some blueberries, too. Adding those to my "want" list. :) ~~Rhonda
ReplyDeletePretty pictures and interesting info. Can't wait to see your pink blueberries!
ReplyDeletejust visited your blog, please would you want to visit my blog again, I hope my blog will give you a new information, thank you
ReplyDeleteCatherine your plants all look so healthy! no doubt they love what you are doing. We have a dwarf grafted apple and pear and they do yield wonderful fruits.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to you and your family.
Fabulous color blue on the house....
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures as always C ~ I enjoyed them! Happy Easter to you and your family :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing yr photos Catherine. I enjoyed looking a them.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful that you have so many fruit trees and bushes. Hope they give ya lots. I'm just starting and got my blue Huckleberry and Crabapple last year but I imagine I just bought glorified critter treats and I probably won't get any. I'll at least try to get one taste of each before they devour everything - like they do my wild Huckleberries.
ReplyDeleteWe've been not feeling well and had to postpone leaving for California today. Shooting for Wednesday now. I think everytime I feel great I do too much and relapse. Lay down, hold still, don't move, don't talk . . . bla bla bla - are you kidding Bob would love that too much. Me quit talking? You betcha.
You've really got the buds Catherine and hopefully the fruit will follow. I hope the traps help on the grafted apple. Isn't it interesting what you learn by experience? I wouldn't know what to do to stop the worms. I'd love to have an apple tree ~ I eat at least one apple every single day!! At that rate it would pay off quick to have my own, wouldn't it?!
ReplyDeleteThe pink blueberry sounds really interesting. I've never seen it in another color other than blue. Hope you and your girls (& husband too) have a great Easter! I wish I had your bunny for a photo shoot!!!
Hi Catherine~~ I see you've been tweaking your blog. The new "Pages" feature is nice, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI completely concur...fruit is WAY easier to grow than vegetables. I suppose one reason is that they're standard fixtures--perennials so their roots grow deeper and they need less water once established. I'm glad to see your blueberries are budding out. Interesting about the leaves/flower buds... I'm curious about your pink-berried variety. I have varieties with pink FLOWERS but none with pink fruit. You know me and pink....
Have you thought about raspberries and/or strawberries? No room? Containers to the rescue! :)
Hello Catherine, I'm sorry I don't visit more often but I have so many blogs to visit - you know how it is! I loved seeing all your fruit varieties. We also have a small pear tree and last year it had lots of small pears on which then fell off - leaving none to ripen. I'm also hoping we have better luck this year. Your blueberries sound delicious, we have a couple of small bushes too. Maybe this year will be a 'fruitful' one!
ReplyDeletegreat blog. Loved seeing the pictures of apple blossom. We are not quite at that stage in England just yet.
ReplyDeleteI remember those trees from when I was a kid. They were beautiful back in the day.
ReplyDeletePear Trees & Cherry Trees