The color of this week's Rosemary blooms are amazing against the dark green leaves, aren't they? Compare the pale, pale green of new aloe shoots, nestled in the brown remains of last summer's lemongrass. I feel like I am deep in winter, but things are changing all over in my garden. My Indian Hawthorne shrubs have large, swelling buds at the tips of every branch. The winter weeds in the lawn are starting to really put on some growth. I found an excellent use for the mouse ear chickweed: the hens think it is candy. Yesterday my apple and pear trees were pruned pretty severely. I had help from a true fruit tree expert, as I am trying to get them to the central leader shape that is best for production, light penetration, and air movement through the trees. They were in bad enough shape that not all the pruning could be done in one year. I will make some additional shaping cuts this summer, and then complete the rest of the major pruning next winter. The trees are about 5 years old, so they still have plenty of time to recover and start producing again.
