I suppose it's entertaining when apples look like muppets but I wish they weren't being entertaining on my espaliered tree. In spring, there was a blast of blossom. Brilliant! When masses set, I was pleased. When there was nothing to speak of in the way of a June drop, I reckoned we were gearing up for a 'best year yet' - and what have we got? Muppets!
The garden, almost abandoned to slugs and snails, is fending for itself. While we've been wilting indoors with the heating on so the washing can dry on radiators, bindweed has chosen its moment to go on the offensive. Glance away for a second and POW! it's grappling with the honeysuckle.
I'll never be struck on split apples but creatures small enough to crawl inside leaves fascinate me. As they crawl, they get bigger. As they get bigger, the tunnel they make gets bigger too - so you know which end they started. The honeysuckle is big enough to host a few miners. I'll consider them garden artists.
I had anticipated a field of aquilegia followed by a forest of foxgloves. The aquilegia which aquileged was pretty but un-extensive. Their seed pods are elegant but slim. Foxgloves? Who wanted foxgloves? Not me! Dum de dum!
Honesty is like an insect. The stages in its life don't relate to each other. The leaves are clumpy, the flowers bright. The seed cases begin as green pennies and turn to silver moons. I like honesty. Sorrel has lovely seeds too. I have a sense that few know this so - see here. Many things are beautiful if you peer.
4 comments:
Pretty interesting garden finds, Esther. The Muppet apples do look like Muppets.
The poor split apples do indeed look just like muppets. Poor consolation for the kitchen though...
I like everything about this, especially your appreciation for little things. I hope you try again next year with the foxgloves.
Interesting, Esther - never saw apples split like that before. Muppet apples are pretty cute, but probably not much good for eating.
I'm sure you've already investigated the cause. I was curious and a quick google offered the possibility it might be due to drought or because of too much water . . . hmmm . . . not very helpful! I also saw that they might need to be thinned.
In spring we added an apple tree here, so I'll be investigating this further. It's a stick of a thing right now, and it may need a companion to fruit. I hope the neighbor's crab apple trees will serve to pollinate it though, as we have so little sun here it might be challenging to find a suitable spot for another.
Post a Comment