apple blossoms in bloom

The town we live closest to is named "the apple capital" of Nova Scotia. As a result, we have an abundance of orchards around us and over the past couple of weeks, the apple blossoms in all of our nearby orchards have been in bloom. 

It's quite a spectacular sight - rows and rows of trees completely covered in soft pink and white blooms. Even more beautiful, is actually stopping to walk through an orchard in bloom. It's like a sea of petals that cling to the branches in some inexplicable way, so fragile and delicate. It's a wonder the slightest breeze doesn't carry them off. Their scent is subtle, but sweet. And the sound? At first you hear it before you see them, this low humming that fades in and out. As you look closer, you begin to see them - the bees, hovering, then dancing from one blossom to another, never stopping, always searching.

The blooming of the fruit trees, like so many other early blooms, is short and fleeting. It's something that I look forward to from the first signs of the trees come back to life. It's when everything seems to come back to life. Worthy enough a sight that I'll risk trespassing just to walk up and down the rows, taking them in, knowing in a day or two, or after the next heavy ran, or breezy day, they'll all be gone. Luckily, I have yet to meet a farmer who wasn't friendly enough to grant me the pleasure.

And as this is our first spring in our new home, and after so much had already faded by the time we purchased our property in the fall, it was the first time we were really able to see what was growing.

To my delight, there are two large, unruly apple trees down at the river's edge. Their branches are covered in lichen, gnarled and wild. Despite their age, beautiful blossoms covered them once more this spring.

Planting fruit trees is on our list of projects to do over the next few years, but not something that we will tackle any time soon, so I was thrilled to know that we had some already established.

Walking through the orchards was lovely, but this year, seeing my own white blossoms was something that brought me joy every time I looked out my kitchen windows.

Spring in the Living Room

I cut some branches from a tree in our back yard this afternoon that have little white blooms on them. I'm actually not sure what variety the tree is, but I had previously thought the blossoms seemed similar to a pear tree. I'll have to do some research on it.

They make for quite a dramatic arrangement on top of the mantel, and feel very Spring-like amoung the collection of nests.

As you can see, we've also found a coffee table. I will get around to posting about it at some point, but it was an antique table that was previously green with orange underneath. Ryan cut the legs down for me and stripped the top which will remain the natural, beautifully aged pine. But the legs were too difficult, so we simply painted them white.

I have been on the hunt for a fixture for this room and just haven't found anything yet.

I also added a smaller vase of blossoms beside my chair.

I can't wait for the orchards in our region to start blooming. I've driven out twice with the intention of photographing them, and on both occasions, came back disappointed. They just aren't ready yet - likely around Mother's Day.

The Orchards in Bloom

One of the things I will greatly miss about our current home is the abundance of orchards surrounding our town. With so many farms, an open market stand is only ever a minute away.

When the first of the sweet strawberries are in season, we head to a farm in town to pick our own. And when I get a craving for a juicy summer peach, I just hop in the car to the stand down the road.

But there's also that fleeting time of year when all of the orchards are a sea of blossoms. Row after row of fragrant apple blossoms and delicate pink peach blossoms; a sight that comes as quickly as it goes.

This evening, while the sun set, and before they disappeared, I took a walk through the orchards and enjoyed the sweet scent of the apple blossoms.

Sour Cherry Blossoms

For the past four weeks, Willen and I have been forcing Sour Cherry branches from a local orchard. 

The owner gave us an armful of branches he had just pruned to take home. As he gingerly climbed to the very top of his orchard ladder, which was probably as old as he was, I was educated on the important work of restoring an old citadel in town, and shown how to remove a virus from the branches. All the while Willen ran up and down the rows of trees being chased by the man's collie, who seemed delighted to have someone much more agile to chase about. We learned that the cold would delay the display of blossoms this year, but that the frost hadn't damaged the crop as in previous years.

And so, they sat on our buffet, seeming lifeless.

But in due time, as we patiently waited, we began to see signs of life emerge in the form of tiny, round buds.

Those tiny buds eventually unfurled into leaves and delicate blossoms and we were rewarded for our patience.

They lasted longer than I had anticipated, and have finished just in time for the real display in the orchards to begin.

It seems that our Lilacs will join them at the same time. 

They're so close!

Orchards in Bloom

I almost missed them.

The rows of apple, peach and pear trees covered in delicate white and pink blossoms. A brilliant display of Spring. A blanket of petals over the countryside.

I decided to head down the road, to our local orchards, and spend a few minutes walking through the trees.

A light Sring shower had left the grass damp and the petals dripping the last of the evening rain.

I was so happy I didn't miss them alltogether.

I even cut a few budding Lilacs. I'm looking forward to them opening, and their sweet fragrance filling the house.