NB: A note for WordPress Reader users – you need to click on the title of the post again to see the full photograph. (Otherwise you see just a tiny section!)
Right now my garden is frothy with the blossom of fruit trees. While perhaps a little plainer than the ornamental cherries and crab apples, they do give a lovely show of graceful flowers. The pink flush on the backs of the petals of the apple blossom pictured here really appeals to me. There’s something about the soft shading of the petals and the deeper pink of the unopened buds that’s particularly pretty in combination with the delicacy of the white.
The blossom in these photographs belongs to our Braeburn apple tree. It’s a small tree but gives a good crop of crisp, tasty apples. (We also have a Cox’s Orange Pippin, which is still very young. I prefer the Braeburn apples.) We aren’t the only ones that like the apples though – any windfalls are a magnet for blackbirds and wood pigeons. It can be quite entertaining to watch them competing for the fallen apples. Luckily for the birds, though, an apple is big enough to satisfy the appetites of several hopefuls.
While they’re in flower, the apple trees are the biggest provider of flowers for any bees or other pollinating insects that are around. So not only do the trees provide us with food and beautiful flowers, they are an important source of pollen and nectar early in the year.
I have other young fruit trees in the garden too. Especially beautiful is the cherry tree – just as much as any of the ornamental varieties – and that’s my next set of flowers to photograph. I’ll show you the results next week! 🙂
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
looks like big apples
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let’s hope so! 🙂
LikeLike
looks like big apples…
LikeLiked by 1 person
“frothy with the blossom” .. it must be super special to be out in your garden now .. enjoy! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are a lovely sight and hubby (Colin) agrees that we should plant more if we have the space. Flowers, food for us, plus food for the bees – a great combination! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad to see the blossoms of fruit trees from your garden, Ann!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks lovely and makes me hopeful for a harvest, so it makes me very happy too! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I had space for some more trees. I am considering a couple of container crab apples this year. Spring blossom is always so beautiful, fills the heart with joy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it really raises the spirits to see the blossom. And there’s the hope of fruit later, though I have to be quick with the cherries!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I share your admiration for the beautiful range of white to pink flush to fuller pink of the buds. And am envious of your ability to grown your own, edible apples in your garden. 😊🍎
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are a lot of apples in this county – and some pretty decent cider too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think I have eaten an apple off a tree since childhood, which is very sad. I’m glad you can do so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Braeburns are one of my favorite apples, so its especially fun to see how they begin! We had apple and cherry trees in our yard when I was growing up, and I still miss them. Of course we have peaches here, and berries, but cherries and apples belong to more northerly climes, and I envy you your blooms as well as the fruit.
You’re probably too young to remember this classic song from the 1950s, but I still love it. I actually prefer the instrumental version done by Perez Prado, but the lyrics are fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mmm, peaches would be nice! That song sounds to me like something out of a very romantic black & white film – maybe it is… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also liked your turn of the phrase…”frothy with the blossoms”. It’s a good depictive of what your garden must look like as your fruit trees flower. Good luck on a healthy apple harvest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Steve – it has been the best year yet. Even Colin (hubby) noticed! Hehe!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The “frothy” in your opening sentence is a unique way to put it. (As I typed that, I noticed that in the preceding comment Steve G. also remarked on it .)
Your mention of a cherry tree at the end reminds me of this poem by A.E. Housman:
https://poets.org/poem/loveliest-trees
LikeLiked by 1 person
The flowers are so light and airy and the mass of them looks so insubstantial… 🙂 I’ve read that Housman poem in the past but had forgotten it – thanks for reminding me!
LikeLike
The other day we watched the movie “Out of Africa,” in which the phrase “rose-lipt maidens” occurs. That’s another reference to Housman:
https://www.bartleby.com/103/31.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
A sad one!
LikeLike
Aye!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The apple blossoms are really beautiful – the pink color is so nice! When I lived in San Diego I had a Lemon, Lime and Crab Apple trees. The birds always beat us to the Lemons and Limes though, but it was fun to have them. You are lucky you can grow fruit trees as it is fun to have them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How wonderful to be able to grow lemons and limes outside! We have two little lemon trees in pots in our conservatory but they are suffering badly from scale insects. I have to try to clean them off somehow…very difficult! The apple trees are pretty easy here – thank goodness!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the image of your garden being “frothy with the blossom of fruit trees”. (I see the two Steves have already said something similar, so you’re clearly on to a winner with that turn of phrase 🙂). The photos are pretty good too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! The trees are the main thing in the garden at the moment. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Blossom time is the best, a cheerful reminder that spring is here, even if the weather seems to think otherwise. Sounds like you will be enjoying lots of apples too, after the blossom is just a memory.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The blossom this year was the best it’s been – partly due to the trees being a little bigger but having lots of war sunshine early on really helped. This little tree does produce a lot of apples for its size. 🙂
LikeLike