A very young pear
One of the best parts of my day is the daily walkaround in the yard, orchard, and garden. I don’t always like what I see. A few nights ago, we had a late frost. We may have more frost tonight. But mostly what I’m seeing is a beautiful spring. Because of the pandemic, what we can grow here matters more than ever. The orchard is a particular challenge, because we have to fight insects, winds, blights, squirrels, and raccoons to get any of the fruit. This year the fight will be intense, and it’s a fight I’m determined to win.
These are iPhone photos.
Young peaches
Young apples
Young fig
Frostbitten fig leaves
Snowball bush (Hydrangea, I believe)
New rose shoots, regenerating after old growth was cut back
There’s not much to see it the garden yet, but it’s only April 15
David, the weather has certainly been up and down the last few months. I had fig trees a few years ago in N.C. if you remove the dead leaves, the plant may generate new ones. May depend on the type of fig tree. I planted two types – one by the chimney (because my grandmother had one by the the chimney at their house) and it grew like gangbusters. The two in the backyard were lackluster, even when a few years old. Just finished planting dwarf marigold seeds today. I am in S.C. and grandson is planting a large vegetable garden. Hope yours thrives. I really enjoy your blog.
Beautiful pictures David. It’s hot here too, I’ve been walking on the south downs way daily and the ground is dusty and baked dry. I’ve never felt such heat in April. It’s nice but worrying to see climate change happening so quickly.
Hi Jo: A chimney makes great sense. The warmth would help keep the figs’ roots from freezing!
Hi Chenda: While the U.K. has been having a heat wave, we’ve been having frosts here in the American South. Strange weather is our new reality, isn’t it.