These are the first open apple blossoms of the season.
Redlove Calypso.
Zestar.
Gravenstein.
I need to keep this in mind if I eliminate a variety. Gravenstein is triploid - I think - so wont pollinate the others, and needs them to develop its fruit.
Still, there will be a lot of overlap with the next ones. These are just the beginning.
I'm curious about how Zestar will do. Last year, there were apples but they were not all that good. Whereas, the Gravensteins were fit for a King!
These were nice mini dahlias. I had bought them last year in 4 inch pots, and planted in a large container. They bloomed like champs.
I let the container dry out, and stored in the garage, dry, over the winter. I didn't know if there would be tubers. There were. I really didn't do anything - just leave them dry, in their flowerpot.
This cluster sort of fell apart. Each tuber has a small growing bud that looks viable. I planted them un a circle in the container.
Here's what they looked like last summer. Kind of amazing.
I discovered that I had saved some GoldRush apple scion in the refrigerator. They were in a ziplock, fallen at the back of the dairy drawer. There was one remaining tier, the 3rd up, to replace on the Redlove Calypso espalier, so I made some grafts.
Where I could find s stem to graft onto, I used cleft grafts. This is a century - old illustration. It hasn't changed.
The main thing with this carpentry, is at least one side requires the cambium layers of scion and stock are pressing against each other. Even better if for both sides, but not required.
There were some locations I thought might be better, but no branches. For those, I wanted to do a traditional side graft. An illustration from the 1860s.
I've done this before, but with bud grafting. That was cherries, in June. This time it's apple in April. I had difficulty getting the scion to fit in the slit, even though I was able to expose the cambium layer, I tore some of the thin bark and cambium and did not wind up with success. So I treated that area of the branch as a self-graft, placed the layers back together, and wrapped snugly.
Then I went with my earlier idea, and cut a thin tongue in the bark, again exposing the cambium layer. Insert the scion into that slit, Wrap snugly, as best I can.
Will they tKe? Watch and wait.
This Hippeastrum (Amaryllis is the popular name but not accurate) was showy and delightful this winter. I wonder if I can keep it going for next year?
Given the small pot, it will need up-potting. I used good potting soil the first time around, instead of that useless stuff they sell with Hippeastrum bulbs.
Since I always inspect the roots, here they are.
The roots look great, despite winding around. The bulbs are sold without roots, so they are all new. I didn't traumatize the fleshy roots by unwinding them.
After.
I forgot to add bone meal. Later.
Here's the last of the three miniroses, which I think is Daniele Kordana. It's done with a nice, long run on blooming.
After cleaning up and repotting.
So far I think this project, bare-rooting and planting in good quality potting soil, is right on target. There are beginning flower buds on three of the five Sunmaid Kordana plants now. Growth is excellent and they don't dry out suddenly on an almost daily basis like the originals did. It's more like keeping normal vegetable starts watered.
Before dividing - the original plants.
I think it was easier then to separate the plants with minimal root damage.
