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.