Some of you will remember a blog in February 2017 when a storm took out part of an old apple tree in the middle of our garden. After much debate (thanks for your inputs) we decided to keep the remaining tree.
In June 2018 our friend pointed out that the apple tree had taken on the shape of a chicken.
Then last week the weather decided it could do another topiary job of the tree.
This time it really does look like the end. The tree , especially when the Rosa Rambling Rector was in flower, was an important focal point within the garden. So removing it will be sad but hopefully will open up new opportunities.
The apple tree was not the only casualty with Rosa ‘Blush Noisette’ being blown off the pergola although fortunately this was repairable.
The following summer delights in the garden
The clematis and roses are all doing well this year.
This corner always looks good in the summer with the pink Geranium palmatum, roses and delphiniums. Last autumn I added the posts at the back to provided support for Rosa ‘Iceberg’ and Rosa ‘New Dawn’ as they always got lost behind the flowers.
Rosa ‘New Dawn’ has been here for at least 30 years and is looking healthier than ever.
Rosa ‘Iceberg’ has been in for about ten years can now be seen.
Often mistaken for a Rose , Carpenteria californica at the back has been looking great, probably benefiting from the mild winter we had. The pink rose is Rosa ‘Irene Watts’
And now for the snakes.
The mild winter has certainly helped the grass snake population. As soon as the sun comes out you can find them in the garden. This beauty was taking an early morning swim in one of our ponds, probably after our fish for breakfast!
That apple tree should have been pruned aggressively. That is the MAIN problem I encounter with fruit trees. They just are not able to support the weight of all their fruit. If it were a historical tree, I would keep the ruined trunk and and prune the shoots into another small tree. For now, I would just take away the broken part, and prune it in the winter.
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Thanks for your thoughts. However I suspect this tree is beyond repair. The tree itself has been rotting for some years. Actually it was the weight of the rose that eventually broke the branch and split the trunk. The tree itself is probably 80 to 100 years old and we will be sorry to see it go although it never produced any nice apples worth eating.
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Oh, it is even sadder to lose it after all those decades, or even a century!
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