... our main deciduous plot has about 30 trees - apples, peaches, nectarines, a quince, a medlar, cherry, apricot, plums, mulberry... this plot is about 8 years old now and is really producing some fabulous fruit - much of which I preserve as jams, chutney, and sauces... but for now its just pruning and preparing... the whole plot needs a good burgundy spray (an organic fungal control)...
our 'citrus grove' (I like to refer to as 'the orangery') contains about 10 trees - the oldest is a 15 year old eureka lemon (and a wonderful tree it is too!)
these are our newer additions - everything from dwarf japanese mandarin to lemonade with minor diversions to ruby grapefruit and blood oranges.... still many more citrus to plant - but I need to find an area with less frost! against the sheds perhaps.. or (wish wish) in a greenhouse... or fernhouse...or poly tunnel (dream on!)......
the thing I love about the citrus is NOW is the main harvest time for so many of them - the old eureka lemon is laden with fruit - yummmmmo
I give so many of these away - If you're visiting sams creek right now you're bound to leave with an armful of lemons.... I'm also preserving them in quarters - its so simple... just lemons and salt - how hard is that? and the results in about a month of shelf time are truly AMAZING!!!!
and when you think that the deciduous orchard is all asleep - before you know it there are blossoms appearing!
here is the first to break out - the apricot... so although the frost are still huge there's a sure sign that spring is a-coming....
and anyway all around the garden are the most wonderful winter flowers - this is a native hibiscus (this one's latin name I struggle with.... but it's lovely don't you think?)
wandering around the garden - imagining the possibilities for the season to come, weeding, wondering... is my great meditation.
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