I think the title of my post yesterday was a little over the top. We are having spring, but it's surprising how few blossoms there are on the apples trees in our yard and around the hamlet. Often, the pommiers are huge masses of white or pale pink flowers in late April and early May. Look at this photo from April 2015, just a year ago.
Right now the apple trees are very green — or at least are starting to be — but there are few flowers. Above is the biggest pommier in our yard. You'll be hard pressed to see any apple blossoms on it in this photo I took yesterday morning.
Two smaller apple trees in the yard were severely pruned back a few months ago. Maybe that pruning explains why they have fewer leaves and blossoms than normal this spring. Or maybe it's just because of the wet, chilly, dark weather we've had since Christmas.
Over in the neighbors' yard I did find apple blossoms, including the one in the photo above.
And on the north side of our property, just at the edge of the vineyard, I took a photo of this little pommier that has a few more blossoms on it than ours do.
In a lot of ways, we'll be happy to have fewer apples than we have had in many past years. The yard is often covered in them, and they have to be picked up and disposed of before Walt can mow. Looks like that won't be a big job in 2016. In my walk-around yesterday morning, I did see a lot of little plums and baby cherries on trees in the area.
When we had our robiniers (aka acacia du midi) pruned last year, it took forever for them to get leaves and then flower. But when they did--it was bountiful. This year, they are more on schedule, with the first flowers popping out yesterday. So maybe your apple trees will burst out yet.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the grass is growing...
ReplyDeleteIt's not up to my kneecaps yet.
DeleteMore jellies and tartes and clafoutis to come :)
ReplyDeleteYou really have too many apples, so this year your back will benefit from less apples to pick up. The last apple blossom near the vineyard is lovely.
ReplyDeleteBig difference form last year's photo. Beautiful close up of the blossoms on the small tree.
ReplyDeleteI noticed this evening that the apple orchard between Preuilly and Le Grand Pressigny has very few flowers and is in full leaf. Our apples are covered in flowers so maybe we've just been lucky.
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