TODAY IN THE ORCHARD

Two of my favorite ornamental crabs: to the left ,“Red Jade” weeping crab (with white flowers) and to the right, “Semi-weeping Red” with its wonderful red flowers.

“Don’t go nowhere. What do I care?” Fats Waller

Today was Thomas “Fats” Waller’s 120th birthday. To celebrate, I’ve re-committed to going nowhere as much as possible. It’s more fun here with the trees. With the blast of heat we’re getting, it seems like every apple tree in central Maine is in bloom or about to be. We also have a huge challenge looming on the horizon - Thursday will present a major risk of fire blight thanks to the combo of heat and moisture. Tomorrow we will spray a product called “blossom protect” in hopes of fending it off. All over much of Maine orchardists are in a serious panic. Fire blight can be devastating. We have our fingers crossed.