Most of the apples are finishing blooming. The
Prairie Fire Crabapple, now in 3rd leaf, is looking great. Most branches are above deer browsing height. This tree puts on a real show and appears problem free, so far.
The earliest bearded irises are blooming. This means, blue colors and smaller size, in my collection. They look the best since planting 4 years ago.
The house came with a gigantic lilac bush. It needed some renovation, cutting out old dead trunks and a little thinning. It has responded with a big show this year.
I started carefully collecting pollen from the one pawpaw flower at the pollen shedding stage, and transferring pollen to flowers that appear to be at a receptive stage. The stigmas are receptive before pollen is shed, and when pollen is shed the stigmas are no longer receptive. With down-facing flowers on small trees, it's tricky. The variety "Sunflower" is clearly first, but has flowers at many stages. I transferred pollen both to earlier stage "Sunflower" flowers, and to earlier stage "NC-1" flowers.
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2V9TVXyTPg/Vw2mk9dpCrI/AAAAAAAAPN4/8HEMThPSwdkQv9KCO90DVHcE-mO4IHYPACLcB/s400/0%2Bprairie%2Bfire.JPG) |
Flowers of "Prairie Fire" Crabapple. 4.11.16 |
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0p81b75CXAE/Vw2moMPHrSI/AAAAAAAAPN8/sQ58aLs-S8MEGYq6Cr00VfGR-GSBtrLagCLcB/s640/prairie%2Bfire%2Bcrabapple.JPG) |
Crabapple "Prairie Fire". 4.11.16 |
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63iitWRbxOg/Vw2mrpITUiI/AAAAAAAAPOA/V-4qrRAPwaUbhR1NcepYOzfA9CoI1tOfQCLcB/s640/0%2Blilac%2B1.JPG) |
Giant old lilac bush. 4.11.16 |
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHWmJdwWIw4/Vw2ms4ARzhI/AAAAAAAAPOE/XwQJDUiZy308i2E3opwdQts8zEFoTfMfACLcB/s640/0%2Bold%2Blilac.JPG) |
Lilac Flowers. 4.11.16 |
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QD4sWIrYqw/Vw2mxTtBgsI/AAAAAAAAPOI/1hYZnrLA75IlbXU9G_fBi9xpOhw3YMF2wCLcB/s640/eleanor%2Broosevelt.JPG) |
Iris "Eleanor Rooseveldt". 4.11.16 |
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Acr-WnNvaI/Vw2mzmdn7II/AAAAAAAAPOM/z3IlI5MPVwkNPh8hmIImq1B0oHYBb2e6ACLcB/s640/iris%2Bgermanica.JPG) |
Iris germanica 4.11.16 |
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6LhOYJfzjw/Vw2oyrZJnLI/AAAAAAAAPOc/YcczpzshO78N0H9QSxuM304X9o8aGxyjgCLcB/s640/pawpaw%2Bflower.JPG) |
Pawpaw flower with pollen. 4.11.16 |
apples all done flowering and iris are coming out nicely too at my home.
ReplyDeleteI have a few blackberries coming into bloom already. They are clearly not the Himalayan variety. Would you know what they might be?
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