What's Blooming . . . and What's Not
Here are pictures of my small 'Sugar Tyme' crabapple taken on the same day in April in two different years. Notice any difference?
On the right: not a bloom in sight on April 19, 2022. Not a bud anywhere. It has leafed out well and has even stretched out a little bit with new growth, but there are no flowers this year at all.
Some crabapple types bloom in alternate years, but I can't find anything that indicates 'Sugar Tyme' does this. But maybe it does?
To make up for the lack of spring crabapple flowers, the Koreanspice viburnum by the deck is in full flower this year, and this is the first time it is highly fragrant.
I did not plant this. It was here when we bought the house but was just a twig with two spindly branches and six leaves. I had a hard time identifying what it even was, but I watered it and over the past years it has put on so much growth, turning into a big rounded shrub.
It flowered in the past couple years, but not a lot, and picking up any scent involved standing right over it and sniffing.
This year it is blooming really well and the fragrance is strong. When the wind dies down a little on these spring days, we sit on the deck with our backs to it, and the rich scent makes itself known all around us.
It's really nice this year.
But what about that crabapple?
Comments
Sometimes going from the rich juicing at the nursery to a new home takes serious readjusting. Likely getting its roots settled in a new environment. Otherwise it looks robust.
Peggy: I do think any woody plants I put in here live off their nursery rootball the first year and then go into soil shock when they encounter native soil the second year. Even with amendments there is no getting around how unforgiving the alkaline dirt is here. I have hopes for a flowery recovery in future years.