Following a tree 2014

 I have decided to once again follow a tree for a year with Lucy at Loose and leafy and many others. My dilemma is always which tree to choose as there is such a selection!

I always admire these trees on the journey to work (I hasten to add I am usually the passenger!). As I took these pictures a friend drove past and was concerned that I had broken down - so I think I will continue to enjoy them from the car window without stopping !

Last year I was intending to follow this avenue of trees. My husband was in hospital just as their leaves started to appear and so I missed the opportunity and maybe it was a bit ambitious! Regular readers will remember in 2012 I followed this willlow tree for a year.

This year I am trying to make life as simple as possible, so I have decided to pick this apple tree, which is at the bottom of our garden. We have a bench close by where we often sit, so hopefully this will give us lots of time to observe the changes through the year. What is your favourite tree in the garden?

We planted this tree in the garden twenty one years ago and  it has brought us so much pleasure over the years and many many delicious apples. The windfalls we always leave for the wildlife. As it has been quite mild there hasn't been such a need for this food over the winter.

This picture in 1993 shows it on the far right of the picture. We planted many trees in the garden and one of the highlights of our gardening has been to see them mature (just like the children!)

The trunk is full of twists and knobbly. Apple trees are the oldest cultivated trees in Europe.  They can be productive for 30-40 years and as the years go by their production declines.  Their life span is usually 80 years. The oldest apple tree in the UK was found in a garden in Beaminster in Dorset.  It was thought to be over 200 years old.

Before planting a tree we went to a local fruit farm and tasted all the apples. Our favourite dessert apple was called "Fiesta", and so this was the variety we bought. It has a similar flavour to Cox, but is crisper and it also stores well. We finished eating last years crop at the beginning of January.

As you can see the buds are only just starting to form. It will look so different in a month's time!

Thank you Lucy, once again, for organising this. It is a wonderful way to celebrate trees! If you would like to join in too, please contact Lucy at the link at the top of the post.

Sarah x