I’ve had a sweet cherry tree called “Lapins” growing in my back yard for three summers now. It’s a dwarf-size tree, only growing to about ten feet. The first spring I put it in the ground, it had three flowers on it. They actually produced cherries, but they were less than a foot from the ground, so some critter ate them well before they were ripe.
Since that first spring I’ve waited for a flush of blooms. I’ve waited, and waited, and waited. This is the tree’s fourth spring in the ground. There’s still nothing. I’ve said that if it didn’t bloom this year, I would cut it down. It has a prime location in my garden, and if all it’s going to do is grow leaves, it’s just wasting space.
Before doing the deed, I thought I’d ask the nursery one more time. I emailed them on Monday and still hadn’t heard back from them, so I called them yesterday. The woman said that when the brances grow vertically the sap doesn’t spend much time at the tips of the branches where the flowers come out. She said if I could somehow weight the branches down and get them more horizontal, it could force the flower buds out. She said it would even still work this year.
I tied one branch as a test subject, but my patience is mostly already gone. I plan to cut the tree down in the next couple of days. If flowers come out of the weighted branch, there will be a stay of execution. Otherwise, “cccchhhhhtttt” (imagine that sound you make when you draw your finger across your neck like you’re doing the cutting-the-head-off symbol).
Real nice! Clearly the victim’s arms are already in the “Don’t shoot!” position and you’re giving serious consideration to bark-a-cide?! Cruel…
Your lovely daffodil bed will need a centerpiece again – what would you put in its place? I have some lovely horseradish I can’t seem to get rid off from a plot along the west side of the house where my grandfather planted it an eon ago. It only takes a tip of a root from that to come back strong every year…I know.
Do you want us to call you George Washington from now on?
What will you put there instead? It looks like a nice spot for a little beehive! swarm
That’s interesting. There’s a lady on our street who always ties a tree with some kind of sheets. It’s beautiful, but that’s a lot of work for a tree. I like plants that I don’t have to help along too much.
Ahhh, you gotta love the smells of spring:
The smell of fresh cut lawns.
The smell of blossoming flowers.
The smell of death on Evergreen.