FLOWERING CRABAPPLE TREES AND LILACS ARE BLOOMING

FLOWERING CRABAPPLE TREES ARE BLOOMING PROFUSELY...

IN MANY COLORFUL SHADES OF WHITE, PINK AND RED...

...AND MANY SIZES AND SHAPES...

...COLORFUL FRUIT OFTEN FOLLOWS...

...AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL TREES

...MUCH USED AS POLLINATORS IN APPLE ORCHARDS

COMMON LILACS HAVE JUST BEGUN TO BLOOM

Sunday,  8:45 AM., 56 degrees F.  Wind variable, calm with light gusts.  The sky is mostly covered with high gray clouds.  The humidity is 78% and the barometer is falling, now at 30.10", predicting rain for tomorrow.  I have to get the rain barrels out from under the deck and in place, and get the rest of my planting done, even though it is Sunday.
   Spring is in full swing when flowering crabapple trees and lilacs bloom.
   Flowering crabapples have been used as small ornamental trees as well as apple orchard pollinators for many years, and literally hundreds of varieties have been hybridized and introduced to the horticultural trade.  The species of  the genus Malus hybridize very readily, both naturally and through human efforts.   Most of the hybrids are of Asian origin, but the native flowering crabtree species also play a role.
   At the same time as flowering crabapples are blooming, the common lilac, Syringa vulgara, in the Olive Family, and its many hybrids and selections are doing likewise.  Of European origin, the common lilac has been hybridized, particularly in France, for hundreds of years.  Other species of lilacs and their hybrids are just beginning to bloom as well.  Most lilacs need plenty of space to grow and need considerable pruning but are very much worth the effort, and it is a bonus when a species or variety is fragrant, and holds up well in a vase.
   Spring is well under way when these two species and their hybrids bloom.

PRAY FOR THE WORLD'S CHRISTIANS,
PERSECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH