Daylily Seedlings. Fruit Tree Bloom Times. Puttering. 4.3.15

Daylily Seedlings Leaving Dormancy.  4.2.16

First Apple Flowers.  Golden Sentinel.  4.3.16

Daylily Seedlings.  During the late winter, I thought the daylily seedlings were dying of some disease or infestation.  The leaves had become pale and turned brown.  I do think there were some spider mites.  I placed them all outside and left them to the weather. 

It turns out they were going dormant.  If there were spider mites, I guess they are gone now.  The top growth is vigorous and sturdy.  The roods are also thick and sturdy for such small seedlings.

This leaves me with some choices.  There are too many plants to grow them all in borders.  I chose about 2 dozen from different crosses, and planted in a bed between orchard trees.

They will still have to survive marauding rabbits and deer.  Nature, random chance, and their final appearances, will determine which ones I ultimately keep and move to more prominent borders.  It may be another year or two before I know. In the ground, they will require minimal care and not take up room on the deck.

Apple Blossoms.  By a clear lead, the first of my apples to bloom are Golden Sentinel and North Pole.  Both are descendants of McIntosh, with other parentage as well.  In the Vancouver yard, which is ahead, Liberty is also blooming.


Pear Blossoms.  Based on this years results, in this yard, all of my varieties of Asian and European pear overlap their bloom times.  It doesn't look like the bloom time tables matter much, because there is significant overlap between the earliest - Maxie, and the latest - Rescue.   Most of my varieties are Asian pears, but there are a few Euro or Euro grafts.  Orcas pear is not yet at blooming age.

Puttering.  I'm still digging the first of 4 new large garden beds that are intended for sunflowers, flint corn, or sorghum grain for chicken feed.  All of those can be planted in May or possibly June, so one row at a time, I may get there.  With 2 acres, there is still room for more, but I don't want it to cross the line between enjoyable work / exercise, and unpleasant chore.

I think there is a lot of fruit set on Methley - first time, other than maybe 3 plums last year.  Probably just age, although it did have pollinizing variety branches bloom, within the tree from T-bud grafts of Shiro and Hollywood that I added in 2014.  Sweet Treat may also have fruit set, which is pretty impressive considering this is only second leaf.  Still tiny and may still fall off, but I look every day and many are still on the tree.  Toka may have lost its fruit.  The next few weeks will say.  Chill and frost, bloom too early.  Although Sweet Treat was earlier.  NoID Asian Plum is also covered with potential fruits.  Again, this tree is a multiple multigraft now, which may weigh into the reason for better bearing.  Or just coming of age.

Now going out to dig a couple more rows.