[Lesley Silvester]

Last year my very young Victoria plum had two flowers which came to nothing. This year it is a mass of blossom. Same with my young apple tree - six apples last year but masses of blossom this year. 


The older trees are also looking good. 

[shygirl]

how old is it? it took 5 years for mine to fruit but we are quite north.

[Mammyshaz]

We have been commenting on how much blossom the trees have this year 
Last year they were just starting to blossom when heavy wind and strong rain obliterated them and we got very little fruit 
  there double this year to make up for it 

[Bert]

Our fruit trees also have lots of blossom. Especially the plums . I'm very pleased to see all the blossom as last year was my first year of pruning. So it looks like I didn't annoy them to much  .

[HesterF]

Yep, same here. Plums and pears were covered and now the apples and cherries. Oh, and the apricots are already a good size having been the first to flower. I thought they'd all need a certain number of chill hours which I don't think any of them got but clearly I was wrong! Mine are mostly still babies - planted last winter - so I thinned last year but I'll leave them to it this time. Exciting! Oh, and I've got to work out how to keep the birds off - especially the cherries. Any suggestions?

[pgkevet]

I feed the wild birds with my cherries too!
The nly ways i know are either dwarf varieties in a  fruit cage or fan train and a bird net or my old dad used to use nylon stockings and tight legs pulled over the branches. The trouble is that an od man going to the local 6th form and asking the girls for their old tights won't go down well in this day and age....

I have my young cherries training as fans along the fence with my espaliered apples/pears etc and put 6 dwarf varieties near the blueberry/currrent area wth a view to a cage in future.

Also masses of blossom this year including my apricot..but no visisble fruit on that. It's 'goldcot' and is supposed to be good for mid to north wales but only been in 3 years

[Fleecewife]

We seem to be a couple of weeks behind you all up here at 1000' in the south of Scotland, but what an explosion of blossom     This is our 19th year here and I have never seen such a sight.  Even the old amelanchia is smothered this year, and it hasn't all been blasted off which usually happens.  The merryweather damsons are drenched with blossom, as are the pears, with golden gage just coming out.  Some of the apples have a heavy load of blossom, although it's just pink buds so far (3 of my apple trees look to be on their last legs though - maybe been too wet).  The mirabelles have been and gone but it looks as if there's loads of fruit to come.
I have 5 giant blackcurrant bushes which are smothered in blossom.  The redcurrants have a thick fur of dangling tassels, the gooseberries are weighed down, and all are dripping with bumble bees feasting.  It's a glorious year.

I have Japanese friends who have been waxing lyrical about their 'cherry front' which is the opening of their wonderful cherry blossom in an advancing wave up the country.  It sounds amazing, but it's also maybe happening here this year, as spring moves north.  In Japan, everyone goes to picnic under the cherry blossom and revel in it 

[Lesley Silvester]

That's very poetic, Fleecewife. I can just picture it.

how old is it? it took 5 years for mine to fruit but we are quite north.

It's been in the garden for about three years. My other plum tree took much longer to get going but that may have had something to do with the goats getting at it before I even had a chance to plant it. 

[HesterF]

My Victoria plum had fruit on last year having only been planted that winter (but as a two year old). Hoping for a  lot more this year - just pruned all the plums and cherries which seems a pity since quite a lot of fruitlets came off too.

[goosepimple]

Isn't it wonderful - it's amazing what blossom does for the soul, every year I think I should plant more of them. 


I wonder if it was the good summer last year and the mild spring that has brought this on?

[Somewhere_by_the_river]

That's one thing I do miss about our old place - the orchard and all the lovely blossom. Still, the may is positively dripping with blooms at the moment (certainly suits today's weather, which is dripping lots too!). I often think the tress know more than we do about the weather - if that's true then it should be a good growing year (she says with fingers crossed).

it's amazing what blossom does for the soul, every year I think I should plant more of them

I couldn't agree more - I totally get the Japanese obsession with blossom viewing and am so going on a pilgrimage one day (post lottery win, naturally). In the meantime I plan to reinstate the orchard that was here many moons ago... which means dreaming of, rather than getting blossom bonanzas for a few years yet...

Happy blossom viewing all