Crab Apple

The "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple traditionally blooms somewhere around Mother's Day. But like everything else this year, it is going to be in fill bloom early. I noticed this past weekend that it is already covered in mature buds, just waiting to burst into bloom. With the warm weather that is forecast for later this week, I am guessing that it will begin to bloom as early as next weekend.

The Royal Raindrops Crab Apple

The last time that I looked at the Crab Apple tree, its branches were covered with only small little black buds; the promise of the year to come. Fast forward to today. Suddenly those buds have burst and the tree is covered with pretty little deep red leaves. And in the center of each leaf cluster, a small spray of flower buds. After loosing our first Crab Apple tree last winter, it will be so nice to have a beautiful tree in bloom this Spring once again.

The Royal Raindrops Crab Apple

Our "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple is in full bloom. Thankfully, it waited to open until the worst of our rainstorms passed this week.

The tree continues to have a "challenging" shape, caused by both its growth pattern and the trimming the deer continue to give its lower branches. I think this next Winter week need to have a skilled arborist come and prune the tree.

For now, we can just enjoy this explosion of color. It will be all over much too quickly.

Crab Apple Buds

The last time I really inspected the crab apple was over three weeks ago. The tree had just broken its Winter dormancy and was starting to unfurl its first red leaves. I was shocked to discover today that it is already covered in buds, precariously close to blooming.

After I got over my initial surprise, I was really pleased to see all of the buds. This tree seems to be following an "every-other-year" pattern. One year it will be absolutely covered in blooms and the next year it will hardly produce any blooms at all. It has followed this pattern ever since we planted it in 2009. I don't know if this is just a coincidence, due to weather and other factors, or a trait of this crab apple variety.

Either way I am so glad that this year we should have a wonderful display of hot pink blooms.

The Crab Apple

Right on schedule, our "Royal Raindrops" crab apple is setting its future flowers. My concern is the lack of blossom clumps this year. In a good year, each leaf set would support a cluster of flowers. This year, it looks like only about 20% of these junctions have any flowers. Last year we had a very good flowering display, but two years ago it was really light. I am afraid that we are in for a repeat of 2011's poor display once again this year. I wish I knew what is causing these yearly fluctuations.

The Crab Apple

 As the clouds rolled in tonight, the dark, lead-grey skies became the perfect backdrop for the "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple. The tree is almost in full bloom now. I am so happy that it has rebounded from last years disappointing show and is totally covered this year in hot-pink flowers. It was planted on Mother's Day 2009 and was soon discovered by the local deer. As you can still see 3 years later, they gave the lower branches a pretty good trimming. We immediately surrounded the tree with protective fencing. I am hoping some day it will get large enough that the fencing can be safely removed. I am also hoping time will allow the lower portion of the tree to fill out and regain a more pleasing shape. But even with its cage and lopsided shape, it is still a lovely, glowing beacon on the hillside right now.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! We have had a beautiful, sunny day here to enjoy. The high reached 77 degrees and the plants are just exploding in the warmth. These "Royal Raindrop" Crab Apple blossoms have literally grown before my eyes the last few days and now look like they are just moments away from opening. I hope that where ever you are today, you have taken some time to pull up a log and enjoy some sunshine.

The Crab Apple

As we pass the mid-point of April, the "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple is just starting to form its flower buds. I noticed this weekend that the clumps of baby buds are just pushing out of the leaf clusters. I am hoping for a much improved flowering show as compared to last year. It looks promising!

The First Weekend in March

What a lovely day! We had sunny, blue skies and reached a high temperature of 63 degrees. It was easy to forget that we were covered in snow three days ago until you looked in the front flowerbed. There you would find a poor Hellebore plant still buried under a pile snow that was dumped off of the roof! However, everywhere else it felt like Spring. The "tete-a-tete" daffodils in the mudroom bed are now in full bloom.

Up on the bank, the first daffodils to bloom each year are the sweet, little "Segovia". They were closed just yesterday but completely opened in today's sunny warm weather.

The crab apple on the bank has begun to break dormancy. You can just make out the fat, blood-red shoots starting to elongate.

Also up on the bank, and scattered all around the property, are the wild Pacific Hound's Tongue "Cynoglossum Grande". Their fat leaves are just pushing through the soil now. The underside of the leaves are silver and the stem and veins are red. It is really striking as it makes its yearly appearance.

Down by the big garden the pussy-willow tree is at its showy best.

At the head of the secret path the shooting stars are just emerging.

And inside the garden I found the first trillium. These lush leaves will form a huge clump at the base of Dorothy's rose. I always have to be careful when I do the first weeding of the year not to accidentally pull up a trillium plant.

Down the secret path I spied a small clump of deep purple violets and back inside the garden I found the first pink violet of the year.Spring is coming!

The Crab Apple and Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day today and that means it is the "Royal Rainsdrops" Crab Apple's 2nd birthday of sorts. It was Mother's Day two years ago that I bought the tree and planted it for my Mom. That first year, when we brought it home in the back of the pickup, at least 50% of the blooms blew off during the windy ride home. Last year, after it's first full year of being planted, it put on an amazing show. Every branch was completely covered in hot pink blooms. This year, unfortunately, has been a very different story.

As you can see, we didn't exactly have a profusion of blooms this year. I think maybe only 1/6th of the branches have blooms. Since this cultivar of Crab Apple is know for its mass display of color, I am guessing that something went wrong earlier in the year. Perhaps we experienced a cold night right as the tree was setting its buds. Whatever the reason, my fingers are crossed that this is just a one-time experience. And those small areas of the tree that are in full bloom are still just amazingly beautiful.

Crab Apple Buds

Since the weather has been so rainy and cold this Spring, I haven't paid as much close attention to some plants as I have in past years. It just isn't too much fun to walk around in the pouring rain and wind! We did have a fairly nice day today, so I was able to take a quick walk before dinner. I went up to the "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple on the bank and discovered that it is getting ready to bloom! It has quietly covered itself with these tiny bud clusters over the past few weeks. We are suppose to have our first 70 degree day of the year this Sunday. That might be just what it takes to get these buds to open and start the show.

Almost Spring

When I went outside this morning, we had mostly blue skies. As long as the clouds didn't blow by and cover the sun, it was quite pleasant out. But every now and then, the sky would momentarily darken and the wind would whip up. A gentle reminder that today is the last day of Winter. It was nice enough to take a walk, so off I went. Right outside the front door, we have two Daphne plants - one on each side of the steps. Their blooms have finally opened and each time the wind blew it was filled with that unmistakable scent.

The leaves on the Crab Apple have begun to unfurl. They are blood red at this time of the year and really contrast with the greens and browns of the landscape.

March is really daffodil time in Oregon and ours are starting to peak. Above, one of three very happy clumps of "tete-a-tete" that we have growing in flower beds by the house.

This is a new variety that we planted last fall , "Jet Fire". It has nice orange trumpets.

Little "Segovia" planted at the edge of the bank. These are only 6" tall, but reliably come back year after year.

Our two "February Gold" that survived getting chomped by the deer!

And the good old "King Alfred" daffs are just starting to open.

A close-up of crocus planted in a pot on the front porch.

The bright, cheerful face of a pansy, also growing in a pot. And below, after escorting me on my walkabout his morning, Tom-Cat settled on the porch to do some bird watching in a block of sunshine.

A Late Winter Walk-about

Last night it began just pouring rain around 5:30 PM and continued raining hard until at least 10:00 PM. The storm had cleared when I woke-up and in the afternoon I took a walk around the property. I hadn't been up to visit the Crab Apple Tree for awhile and was really pleased to see that it had broken dormancy and the buds have begun to swell. Its branches were just covered in beautiful, deep red tips. This will be its second Spring at our house after being planted Mother's Day of 2009. I can't wait to see the show it puts on this year!

I also found hiding in the grass this sweet little snowdrop. When we moved to this property, we moved six large clumps of snowdrops from the other house. Well, we obviously aren't gifted at moving snowdrops! This year we have a whopping 2 blooms to show for our work! Well, maybe this little guy will set seed and start to naturalize. We can only hope!

Because of all the heavy rains that we have had the last week or so, the creek is really running strong right now.The water is muddy brown and it is making a lovely roaring sound.

The "February Gold" daffodils are just about to open. The sad reality is the deer, who aren't suppose to eat daffodils, have munched off the top of every bloom but two! So, ta-da. here is this years display. I am starting to see a trend here.. two "February Gold".. two Snowdrops....

The Hellebore on the secret path are also blooming. They are a pleasant shock of color in an otherwise shady spot.

And the Shooting stars on the secret path continue to grow too. I love their chubby, fat leaves.

And I had to post a picture taken down at the big garden. Here is one corner of my garden, the day after a heavy rain. Only about 2" of standing water. Can you tell that I garden in a wetlands area..Yikes!