Several years ago, when I was a garden docent at the Huntington, a volunteer wrote a popular column called "What's in Bloom?" Since gardening, one of my passions, is now a forbidden fruit, I'll do the same thing that I do when I can't stomach food - I'll write about it, starting with my own version of "What's in Bloom (and in fruit)" in our back yard.
I'm a big fan of David Austin English roses and have a dozen varieties in our rose garden, including my favorite, the Gertrude Jekyll shown above. I love the way the flowers grow in clusters and ruffle like a peony in the center. But the best part is the intoxicating fragrance. You'll have to come by for a whiff.
Our apricot tree is more prolific than ever. Every year I hope to "manage" the crop, but each year the same thing happens: hundreds of overripe fruits fall to the ground. I'm determined that this will be the year that more fruit is devoured by humans than by squirrels and birds. Between freecycle, this blog and some new recipes I've found, I'm sure to accomplish that goal.
I came close to purging our plum tree this year. I figured the ancient, scraggly tree had come to the end of its life because it hadn't produced fruit for four years. But this year we got a miraculous surprise. It's bearing hundreds of baby plums that promise to turn into the juiciest, sweetest, messiest fruit of the season.
Now it's your turn to tell me what's in bloom in your yard or patio.
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