Apple Tree Explosions

All of the apple trees, both wild and cultivated, are springing to life. The wild apple tree, down at the bottom of the driveway, is bursting into bloom.

There were lots of happy pollinators working the blooms. That should be a good sign for apples this Fall.

The blooms on this tree begin as hot pink clusters and then open to reveal snow white petals.

My "Honeycrisp" apple, that I purchased last year, has broken bud and it starting to produce some leaves. Since it is still a fairly young tree, I am not expecting any blooms this year. But I am pleased to see that it survived our tough Winter just fine.

My brand new "Spartan" apple tree is just breaking bud. This is really exciting for me to witness, since we only planted this tree a few months ago when it was completely dormant. This is a large tree but I still don't think that I will see any blooms this first year in its new home. But I am still thrilled that it has settled in and is off to a good start this growing season.

The Apple Trees Have Broken Dormancy

"Liberty" Apple Tree

Walking around the property this past weekend, I decided to head over to my "Apple Orchard" and have look at my three apple trees. It has been a while since I had last visited them, and I was wondering how they were faring. I was very pleased to discover that my little "Liberty" tree has broken dormancy and is starting to leaf out. My other two trees, the "Honey Crisp" and my newly planted "Spartan" have yet to leaf out. But the buds on both of those trees are swelling and it shouldn't be be long before they too have some delicate new green leaves. Spring might be late this year, but it is coming!

Planting the Spartan Apple Tree

Last Sunday, the "Spartan" apple tree that I ordered from Earth Rising Nursery out of Monroe Oregon was delivered to Eugene. After a few delays - like me forgetting to pick it up Sunday afternoon! -, it was delivered to the house Tuesday night. This morning, with Dad's assistance, we got it planted. I picked the same site where we planted the small "Spartan" graft that I got a few Springs back. Unfortunately, it didn't survive. But I liked the location, so we just dug a much larger hole there and set in the new tree. It's a little over 5 feet tall and is grafted to EMLA7 semi-dwarf root-stock. That means it should eventually reach a height between 12 and 20 feet, or about 60% of a standard tree. This is the root-stock used in most orchards. "Spartan" is a McIntosh cross, with good scab resistance. It ripens in mid-October. I have great hopes for this tree. We have it surrounded by protective fencing to give it a chance to grow without the deer chewing on it. Now we just sit back and wait for mid-April, when I hope to see it break out with a flush of new growth.

Apples In the Forest

One of the signs of Fall here in my part of the world, is ripening apples in the trees. While my two domesticated apple trees are years away from producing any fruit, our forest is home to many, many wild apple trees. There are two large trees in the hedgerow that surrounds the Big Garden. One of them produces solid green apples. The other produces classic red apples, as pictured here. There's nothing as pretty as a ripened red apple caught in a shaft of Fall sunshine.

Baby Apples

While I was taking a walk around the property this past weekend, I made a point to check out the wild apple tree at the bottom of the hill. Last time I stopped there, in mid-April, it was covered in lovely pink blooms. Now, six weeks later, I was wondering if any of those blooms had been pollinated. The answer was apparent once I got close. Up and down its spindly branches there are sweet clusters of "baby" apples.

Planting the Honeycrisp

After the day started overcast and with a determined drizzle, the sun finally broke through in the early afternoon. We took that opportunity to plant the "Honeycrisp" apple tree that I had purchased a week ago at the Master Gardner's sale at the Fairgrounds. We planted it in the meadow, right where the little "Chehalis" apple tree had been planted last Spring. It unfortunately died above the graft, a victim of a very hot first Summer and under watering on my part. This young tree appears to be maybe 3 years old. It has a strong leader and two well developed side branches. After much digging, and some serious rock removal, we got it put in place and well watered in. The final step was getting a fence put around it, to give it some protection from the deer.

Liberty Apple Tree

My "Liberty" apple tree that I had grafted and brought home a year ago from the Spring Propagation Fair is doing well, I am happy to report. It had a challenging first Summer in the ground. Temperatures were in the nineties consistently for months and it didn't get as much watering as it probably needed. Both my "Chehalis" & "Spartan" trees died above the graft but this "Liberty" managed to survive. The rubber band around the graft deteriorated and fell off last Fall The graft has healed over and the tree is now one unit. It put out one 5" new shoot last year and now that branch has sprouts up and down its length. I am hoping a cooler Summer and better care on my part allows this tree to make big strides in its growth this second year.

Apple Blossoms

Our wild apple tree, down that the bottom of the hill, has begun to bloom this weekend. Like everything eles I have described this past week, it too is blooming earlier than normal.

While the poor tree is scrawny and contorted as it tries to reach for sunlight though the surrounding fir trees, it still manages to bloom and set a few apples each Fall.

We let the apples drop from the tree every Autumn and the deer and possible a few bear happily enjoy the bounty. We happily enjoy just watching it move from bloom to mature fruit each season, year after year.

Baby Apples

I went for a stroll around the property last Monday. As I hit the bottom of the hill, I walked over to our wild apple tree. Glancing up I noticed that it was covered with a decent number of clumps of immature apples. Apparently the pollinators did their job this Spring! Come late September, this scrawny little tree will be dropping a fair number of lovely, red blushed apples.

Apple Blossoms

Our wild apple tree, growing through the fir trees at the bend in our driveway, is just coming into bloom.

Most of the year you don't notice the poor bent apple, as it is so twisted and hidden among the competing fir trees. But then each Spring, for a week or two, it demands attention as it bursts into bloom.

The apple buds are a deep pink and open to a soft shell pink.

As the days go by, and they are exposed to the sun, the petals turn white.

The color change makes for such a pretty, feminine display.

Green Apples

Down along the driveway, at the bottom of the hill, grows a lone "wild' apple tree. It isn't a pretty tree, having grown thin and tall over the years as it stretched through the firs toward the sunlight. One too many snowstorms has caused its top to bend back toward the ground. But it still blooms faithfully each Spring and produces a small crop of apple each year. Currently they are a perfect "apple green". But as September arrives, and the nights turn damp and cool, they will turn transform to a lovely red.

Wild Apple Blossoms

Down at the bottom of the road, were the driveway makes a sharp turn to the left, an apple tree struggles to grow in the shade of the large firs. The tree is tall, spindly, and a heavy snowfall a few winters past has made its top point downwards. But even with all of these challenge, it still produces lovely blooms each Spring and a dozen or so deep scarlet apples each Fall. The will to survive.

October Outdoors

This past weekend I had a chance to do a bit of hiking around the property as I marched back and forth from the dahlia garden. Fall is officially here, wherever you look. The fir cones, which were soft and green a few months ago, have now dried. I love the geometry and patterns that make up each cone.

The wild honeysuckle can be difficult to see in the Summer. But by Fall, the plants have produced clusters of scarlet berries. Now the vines are quite visible, rambling through the trees and bushes.

The bracken fern have already turned a soft yellow and now are drying and turning brown. More great geometry in the forest.

The wild apple tree down by Dorothy's creek is almost void of fruit. The apples have transitioned from a lovely soft green with a pink blush to scarlet red. Most of the fruit has fallen off of the tree and been happily consumed by the deer.

This Vine Maple, down by a creek, is turning some pretty shades of red & purple. Unfortunately, most of the Vine Maple leaves on our property have dried and turned brown without going through this lovely stage. Three months with no rain was too stressful on the trees.

Our big maple next to our driveway is its full Fall glory. Thankfully, it seems to have survived this dry Summer and early Fall just fine. That canopy of golden yellow just glows in the sea of green that surrounds it.

Signs of Fall

I took a walk around the property last night after dinner. Although the calendar still says Summer, there are unmistakable signs everywhere of Falls eminent arrival. The first few leaves on the Sweet Gums are starting to turn red.

Underneath the oak trees I found quite a few leaf galls. When we were little we called these pop balls. After they dry just a bit, they make a very satisfying "pop" sound when you step on them.

The bracken fern are beginning to turn golden yellow.

The apples in the volunteer trees are growing larger. This group has such a pretty red blush on the green fruit.

Even the poison oak is starting to change color! It turns to such a brilliant shade of red in the Fall. There will be no excuse for accidentally touching the leaves once they have turned fiery red.

The blackberry canes are getting loaded with ripe berries. I have had a lot of competition from the deer for the berries this year. They too love the juicy, sweet taste.

I found these pretty young fir cones in a Douglas Fir Tree. They look so much different than the hard, dark brown cones that you normally find fallen on the ground.

Wild Apple Trees

Down at the bottom of our hill, there is a wild apple tree. It is growing right next to a fir tree and is tall, skinny, and desperately reaching for some sun light. What it lacks in form it makes up for in beauty. Each Spring is presents us with lovely white blossoms and in the Fall a fair number of green apples with a striking red blush. I have never tried to sample one of these apples but I imagine that they do not possess a very good eating quality. However, as they drop to the ground each Fall, the deer happily clean up the windfall.

The Sights of Mid-October

Today was the first day in October that we didn't get any measurable rainfall. Finally, a sunny warm October day to enjoy. After work I took a quick walk around the property. The berries on the Wild Honeysuckle just glow like jewels right now.

The split-leaf "wild" blackberries are attaining some great Fall color

The Wild roses hips are also lovely right now.

And here are the leaves on the "wild" Himalayan Blackberries.

We have found one "wild" apple tree on our property. It is growing in the shade and is very tall and scrawny as it attempts to find some sunlight. It is loaded with apples this year and the sheer weight of them has bent it over. I haven't ever eaten one the the apples but might have to give it a try this year since they are within reach. I imagine that they aren't a very good eating quality but they certainly are pretty with a beautiful red blush over their yellow/green skin.