United States

The Usual Tale: A mother's love of gardening passed down to her daughter. (Of both edible & ornamental plants.)

Favorite Rose: New Year - for its wonderful scent, cheerful changing color, and determination to survive.

Major Interest: Acquiring and preserving the Prunus mume (Ume or flowering apricot/plum trees) available in the United States, particularly the recently-disappearing American cultivars, in hopes of someday successfully propagating and passing them on to the next generation.

As far as I've seen, no one else plants Prunus mume around here, but these trees grow surprisingly well in a desert backyard, given the right microclimate and care. Because they are early bloomers (in the rest of the world), they fit right in with our winter/spring weather. The scented blossoms that appear first on the branches provide lovely seasonal interest, and the leaves that grow later provide true green color during summer. Grown for flowers (and sour fruit in Asia), the cultivars range in showiness from singles to doubles, flat to cupped, white to pinks of every intensity, to magenta and even red and multicolored, and their stamens and sepals also vary in color and form. Some cultivars even have red stems. (Note: As a bonus to the desert gardener, Prunus mume have no thorns or prickly parts. I suppose you could poke yourself with a twig--they are woody trees, not herbaceous annuals--but it would take genuine effort.)

Local difficulties to be aware of are a preference for acidity--Watch that hard water!--and a vulnerability to fungal issues in warm humidity. (Don't over-water in summer!) Monsoon season is harsh, yet the hot/dry part of the summer is no worse for them than for most other plants that generally thrive here. If you can grow peaches, apricots, and plums in your desert yard, and are willing to be thoughtful about your water's pH, then Ume trees are within your (figurative) reach. But good luck finding any (within literal reach) to plant. Legitimate cultivars are not very common in U.S. trade. Thus, my goal!

General Rule: Anyone who tells me to plant cacti will be told to go hug one before we continue the conversation.

Beginner (19 years)

Last visit: Tuesday, March 18th