more blossoms in the orchard

The second flush of blossoms is now moving through the orchard - Our deciduous orchard was planted 9 seasons ago - and we had a very big prune this past winter - but our thought has always been - keep the tree smaller with fruit easier to pick - and we are thinking to the future - when we may cover the whole area to create a chook paradise. We've planted early, middle and late season deciduous fruit trees to extend the eating season as far as possible - and if I include the citrus, I can't recall a time throughout the year when there isn't something to pick from a some tree somewhere in the garden

Now the first apples are blooming - our earliest variety is a Cox Orange Pippin (that Sass 'pruned' into an 'artistic' shape a few season ago... poor tree)

and second is the Granny Smith - what a large flower this has - I just love the pink tinges! It will be followed by our Jonathon, Abas, Lady William, Gala and others


Our larger pear tree is a busy place - both native and honey bees are swarming all over it (the pear has taken on a marvelous pendulous shape - we don't prune it as it is in another part of the garden)


The cherry is blooming - but we never hold out much hope of a crop - each year it blooms well and sets fruit - but our climate isn't really right for cherries and before they ripen, many of the little fruits drop (and anything remaining gets snapped up by birds before we can get to them)... maybe this year....




And some of the citrus are already blooming again - citrus are such great trees - the orange blossom smell is divine, and they're so productive - the small citrus grove is now in its fourth season - so we are expecting great things over the next 12 months!