Arbor Day 2018
Complete Tree Inventory
Diagram
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Legend
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 Strawberries
are a "Movable Feast" in
Various Planter Pots.
Quinalt
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February 2018
UMA- Dwarf Starkspur® UltraMac™ Apple
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CG - Concord Grape
Vine
W - Blue
Wisteria Vine
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Buds and Blossoms on Arbor Day
04/27/18
"Ruby Ann"
Strawberry Plants were uncovered from last year's growth on 2/24/18
The Ruby Ann Strawberry Plants have been
repotted and around them are some "companion"
marigolds, growing from seed. I like to have some potted
strawberries near the door for guests to enjoy when they come to
visit. Other varieties of strawberries from previous years and
this year will also be found growing in movable planter pots.
Most strawberry plants have little white and yellow flowers, but
the Ruby Ann plants have red and yellow flowers.
Backyard Gardens
Diagram
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Legend
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 Blueberries
are currently in a planter.
Strawberries are a "Movable Feast" in
a 5 Tier Tall Planter
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June 2008
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April 2009
April 2010
?A - Mystery Apple Tree (between 2010 - 2014)
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February 2018
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February 2018
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The backyard gets sun from the south side most
of the day, so it is up against the north side fence.
SM - The new
SnappyMac Apple tree, a variation of my favorite Macintosh Apple,
is off to a good start. It has been planted in the middle of the
backyard tulip garden, so it has lots of company.
BL- This Top Hat
Blueberry Plant will move about in a pot for 1 to 3 years, until
it starts producing blueberries. I have had bad luck growing
blueberries in the past, but I keep trying.
ST - These are
Ozark Beauty Strawberries, growing in a 5 Tier Mr. Stacky planter. The xylophone mallets on top
allow me to cover the planter with a clear plastic garbage bag to
protect them from the cold nights we have been having, but soon
they will be on their own. The planter will move from place to
place, and gets rotated daily.
?A - The Mystery
Apple tree is a mystery because I have forgotten its name. It
grows miserable-tasting small green fuzzy apples, but it has cute
pink flowers this time of year.
RB - At the base of
the Mystery Apple Tree tree is the Red Raspberry Patch
which came from three pots of Raspberry plants, that multiplied
every year. One of the pots cracked, but two still remain adding
new Raspberry shoots to continue to fill up the available space.
By Fall, this will be filled with tall plants and provide
hundreds of Red Raspberries in two stages - one at the beginning of Summer, and another
batch at the beginning of Fall. Then, when the leaves have all
died out, the tall stalks will be cut down and do it all over
again next year.
?C - This
"Mystery Cherry Tree" is showing flower blossoms
developing for the first time. If it actually produces some kind
of cherry (supposedly a two cherry tree - Van and Montmorency) it
may continue to stay. Otherwise it will be replaced next year.
JGA - This was planted in 2010 as a "5 Apple
Tree." So far it has not produced any apples at all and the
only living branches still have the Jonagold label attached. This
may be replaced with a more reliable fruit tree next year.
CH - The Original
Red Cherry Tree that started my interest in having an orchard in
2008. Today 4/27/18 is the first day of blossoms emerging. It has
been producing bountiful supplies of red cherries since 2011,
requiring me to invent
a "cherry picker" in 2013.
First Fruits Appear
May 12, 2018 - the day before Mother's Day.
rosebuds
ConcordFlowers
Memorial Day Growth - 05/28/18
GA - Semi-Dwarf
Stark® Golden Delicious Apple - by Memorial Day, the
first signs of fruit are showing. This may be the year we get a
small first harvest from the tree.
CB - Dwarf Flowering Cherry Bush - A disappointing number
of cherry flowers actually turned into fruit from the Cherry
Bush, but they will still be sweet and delicious. This may be
ready to eat some time next month.
MG- Dwarf Moonglow Pear - The Pears are growing slowly,
but getting larger day by day. They will not be ready for harvest
until late August or early September.
W - Blue
Wisteria Vine - It appears to be more pink or purple than blue,
but that's because it is in the strong sunshine that just broke
through. In the shadows or in the evening, it appears to be more
blue. So far, only one bloom this year. I may have done too much
pruning last fall.
BP Dwarf Bartlett Pear - The Bartlett Pears appeared
shortly after the Moonglow Pears, so they will probably harvest
later in August or September.
CH - Red Cherry Tree - Meanwhile, in the backyard,
the Red Cherry tree is bursting with cherries which will soon be
turning red and ready to eat by the end of June.
RB - Red Raspberry "Patch" - The backyard
Red Raspberry Patch is showing the first signs of flowers, and
even some of the first signs of fruit.
?A - Mystery Apple Tree - Just over the
Raspberries, the Mystery Apple Tree has already produced its
first fuzzy green "apples", or whatever they are.
?C Mystery Cherry Tree - There are long stem
"somethings" growing on the Mystery Cherry Tree,
although whether they are Van or Montmorency cherries will have
to wait for further testing.
ST - Ozark Beauty - The Tall Planter is fast filling up with Ozark
Beauty strawberries, days away from turning red, ripe and ready
for tasting.
Meanwhile, the blue bag of Quinalt
Everbearing Strawberries currently in the front garden, is
also showing signs of forthcoming berries.
CG - Concord Grape
Vine - The next stage in the Concord Grape life cycle is the
opening of the little flower buds that appeared on May 12th. The pollen from the anther
of the male part of the flower (the spidery looking
"legs"), falls on the stigma of the female part (in the
center of the "legs"), and grows down the style until
it reaches the ovary, where it will penetrate the wall of the
ovary so fertilisation can take place. More Information HERE:
05/30/18 The Nursery Table
holds a variety of plants which need special care. L-R: As I was
pruning the Concord grape vines, I accidentally cut off a living
branch, which I hope will grow new roots and begin a new grape
vine. Below that is a pot of germinating Johnny Jumpup
seeds. Shakespeare mentions it as an ingredient for the love
potion used in Midsummernight's Dream. Next comes germinating Hyssop seeds, mentioned in Psalm 51. Below them is a pot of germinating Petunias
imported from China. At the bottom right is a pot of Outhouse Hollyhocks
germinating. In the early days of East Orange, before indoor
plumbing, the tall flowering Hollyhocks were grown around the
outdoor building known as an "Outhouse"
to help guide visitors and guests to that necessary part of every
home. Finally, on the far right are three pots of Ruby Ann strawberry plants that survived the winter and
are getting ready to produce another crop of berries soon. I grow
them together with Marigold
plants from recycled Marigold seeds taken from last year's
Marigold flowers. They get along well and do not fight for space
or light.
Final Fruit Harvest
05/26/18
The roses were buds that began
appearing on the entrance trellis vine on Mother's Day
(5/12/18). They stayed as buds until 5/25/18. Suddenly, on the
morning of 5/26/18, I discovered they all had opened at once,
making a nice display to begin the Memorial Day weekend.
Technically, the final fruits of the rose bush will happen when
the blossoms die off and the "rose hips" grow into
"fruit" that most people throw away. Not me! I use them
to make "Rose Hip Tea"! But that will be in the
fall, and today we celebrate the roses as flowers.
06/15/18 Red Cherry Tree Ripening
Most of the cherries are still light green or
yellow, but a few are beginning to turn bright red. It won't be
long now until first harvest.
The grapes have further to grow, but from now on
they will get larger and larger, and finally turn from green to
dark purple towards the end of August.
The three Moonglow Pears shown above
were trimmed down to the largest of the three, and it is
beginning to take on the roly-poly shape of a pear.
The Bartlett Pears are not as
fully developed as the Moonglow pears, but they are moving right
along towards a future dessert.
This is the first year the
Seedless Green Grapes have developed all the way into fruit. With
any luck, we will have some competition for the Concord Grapes in
the fall.
06/25/18 The first red raspberry arrives in East Orange. It is
delicious, especially knowing that many, many more will soon
follow. This is the beginning of the early summer harvest, and
there will be a second harvest in late summer/ early fall.
Here is the same raspberry back in May when it first appeared.
concord
08/22/18 - The Concord Grapes are
ready to be eaten! They are growing everywhere around the front
garden, in the front hedges and along both arbor entrances. Pick
ONLY the darkest purple grapes for the best taste! Please leave
the green grapes alone and in time they will also turn purple.
One of the low hanging Bartlett
Pears is ready to be plucked and ripened in the sun until it is
yellow and juicy. The others high up in the tree will be left
until they start to ripen where they grow (or until I find a
ladder and a climber willing to risk the climb!).
09/02/18
This is the End of Summer
Raspberry Harvest. The second harvest in September is always
greater than the first
harvest in June. The berries are also
bigger and juicier!
In this one cluster there are
enough red ripe raspberries to cover my morning breakfast cereal,
and in a few days the rest of those pale berries will also be
bright red, and a few days after that, the smaller berries will
continue to add to the harvest. And that is just from one
raspberry branch! This makes Fall worth waiting for!
