I've been meaning to give a bit of a garden update for a while now but to be honest I have just been managing to keep it from going wild and becoming a jungle. All my plans to plant veg, put in a pond and a patio have been put on hold because taking care of my wife and son has not left me with much time or energy to get out there or even make a blog post about it.
But, there have been some changes. My fruit trees are coming along well. and have surprised me that they are already producing fruit. I didn't expect to see that in their first year.
Apple
My apple tree has around 7 marble-sized apples growing away. Nice. That is one of the cool things about gardening it sometimes feels like a relay race. You do your part by nourishing the soil and making sure the plant has all the things it needs. From light to water to fighting away other invaders that try and strangle or eat your teammate and then it is up to them to do their part. Then you do your part again with watering, pruning and weeding. It becomes a team sport.
I think we are winning. It has been pretty dry here for the last week or two with only a dusting of rain. I have been keeping them watered for this their first year. Making sure their roots have been well established. I already see some branches I want to prune in the winter to keep the form.
Plum
My plum tree is also doing well and it has two fruit. Remember this is its first year in my soil. This one looks like beautiful ass cheeks, sitting there trying to be modest behind a leaf.
The other one is tiny as it wasn't able to afford the butt implants.
I look forward to taking a nice bite out of them when they're ripe.
Hawthorn
In other news, I found a large weed that I needed to save. In the middle of these two Laural bushes was a tree growing, being strangled by all the plants and vines around it. It is a Hawthorn tree. In Ireland, they are a tree steeped in lore and superstition. You should never cut one down and this one was dying slowly because of my neglect.
They are also called the fairy tree and are a connection between the world and the other realm. It has been know for builders to change their plans to avoid them. I think there is even a road that had to have a detour to go around one.
The Hawthorn is a good tree for hedgegrows as it has very pointy spikes and stops animals from escaping. It also has a lot of medicinal qualities I have yet to explore.
I never liked these Laurel bushes and now I had a legitimate reason to get rid of them.
I cut them away and all other plants that were threatening the Hawthorn.
And not a moment too soon, as vines and ivy were strangling the trunk. Some so embedded that it looks like a barbers pole. I cut everything away and removed what I could. The rest should just rot away. I am sure this will give the tree great character as it gets older and no one will dare cut it down in case they are cursed. This will protect the garden for future generations.
It was a happy find although I will now need to be wary of it and its spellbinding power.