Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms—Spring Flowers (2020)

I've been rather lazy this year about recording the first blooms of plants in the garden this year. I missed the date of the miniature cyclamen that is always the first flower of the new year and likewise the date of the first blooms on the white plum tree in the side yard. I have recorded a few, though. The yellow daffodils in the front of the house first bloomed this year on February 20. The pluot "Dapple Dandy" bloomed on April 15. The pluot called "Flavor King" first bloomed on February 18 and the dwarf peach behind the house had its first flowers on February 21. The two-toned daffodils at the front of the house bloomed on February 29, more than a week later than the yellow ones, which is normal. The magnolia-like Michelia yunnanensis bloomed on February 29 as well.

Plants I'm Growing: 2014 "Flavor King" Pluots

The day before yesterday I was standing on the deck behind the house and noticed a large bird in our fig tree. It flew a dozen feet and landed in the little "Flavor King" pluot tree in our back yard, picking at the fruit. That was annoying, but I was glad to see the bird because it was a Black-headed Grosbeak, a species I've never seen in the garden--although I've heard them singing nearby before.

So, birds were taking notice and fruit was beginning to fall: I decided to harvest. I took about 100 pluots off the tree. They're delicious fresh, but it may be time to make jam again.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--"Flavor King" Pluot

The first buds on our "Flavor King" pluot opened the day before yesterday, on February 19. There has been so little rain this year that I'm hoping we'll actually get an appreciable crop this year. In the past two years it rained heavily while this and our other plum and pluot trees were in bloom, which resulted in a tiny crop. We'll see. The plant bloomed on February 5 in 2009, february 15 in 2010, February 13 in 2011, and February 19 this year, calculating years of 375, 363, and 371 days, for an average so far of about 370 days, somewhat longer than an actual year, but I suspect this will average downward over time.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Santa Rosa Plum, "Flavor King" Pluot, "Pink Snowflakes" Rhododendron

A number of plants have come into bloom in the garden in the past couple of days: the Santa Rosa Plum I planted two years ago as a pollinator for the pluots, the "Flavor King" Pluot, and the "Pink Snowflakes" rhododendron. The pluot Dapple Dandy" is now in full bloom as well.

"Flavor King" began to bloom on February 13, the Santa Rosa plum on February 14, and "Pink Snowflakes" today (February 16). The Santa Rosa plum is in the first photo, the pluot "Flavor King" in the second. "Pink Snowflakes" is below. The Santa Rosa plum calculated a year of 356 days this year, 364 days last year. "Flavor King" calculated a year of 363 days this year, 375 days last year. "Pink Snowflakes" calculated a year of 357 days this year, 367 days last year. Interestingly these six data points average to just under 364 days, very close to an actual year.

Plants I'm growing: First blooms--Pluot "Flavor King" and Osmanthus x Burkwoodii

I report belatedly that the pluot "Flavor King" and Osmanthus x burkwoodii both started blooming yesterday. Activity has picked up markedly in the garden in the last couple of days with a lull in the rain and warmer weather. It was in the high 60s again today. The Osmanthus bloomed on February 18 in 2009. So, a year according to this plant was 362 days, or close to a calendar year. The photo here is a view of the plant in full bloom in 2009.

The pluot is a trifle problematic. One or two flowers opened in isolation about two weeks ago, which is typical, but a significant number of buds broke today for the first time. Last year, an isolated flower bloomed on February 5th, but I didn't note the start of the real flowering, so my data from last year and this year don't really mesh. Roughly speaking, however, the timing of both the first flower and of the fuller flowering appear to be in line with last year.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms

Yesterday, February 4th, a single blossom on our "Flavor King" pluot tree opened, looking somewhat forlorn all alone. I don't know whether to count this as the start of blossoming for the purposes of my botanical calendar or not, but I note it here. A bloom or two opened on the "Dapple Dandy" pluot today, February 5th. First blossoms on the pale yellow miniature rhododendron on the side of the garage (bottom photo). Our first yellow daffodil bloomed today as well. The white Japanese flowering plum (Prunus mume) is in full bloom (top photo).