Budding Spring

The Satsuma plum tree is in flower, but then so are the pear and peach trees…

One of these peach trees is in for a surprise; it’s about to become the proud parent of some three different varieties of freestone nectarines, grafted on to one of its somnambulant branches during winter. These buds will become branches that might produce fruit next year; this year any early fruits will be stripped off to allow the graft to heal and strengthen without the added weight of fruit threatening to break them off the parent tree.

Out in the front yard, our winter-grafted Granny Smith apple tree is also setting buds on six different varieties of apples, and the ornamental pear tree is boasting a successful edible pear graft.

Other things are budding too; a pot full of Isabella grapevine cuttings – just a bunch of twigs in a pot only weeks ago – is now popping out grapevine leaves above the soil and roots below the soil. These twenty twigs will form the basis of a row of table grapevines that will supply our future summer breakfasts once they have been established in our new enclosed orchard well out of reach of parrots and possums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the vegetables are blooming, especially the broad beans, broccoli, German cabbage and Daikon radish.