Ume - Plum Blossoms!
Ume or Plum trees start blossoming in mid-February. They are the first of the flowering trees to bloom in Japan, and join the Daffodils and Crocuses which are emerging from the soil.
Not quite as delicate as the more famous Cherry blossoms, they are quite beautiful and very vibrant.
The dark black bark on the branches further enhances the exuberance of these first splashes of colour after the drab winter.
I have the fortune to live near a park where there is an ornamental plum grove, with many different varieties planted all over a hillside. Below the plum trees were beds of densely planted daffodils. The air was heavy with their vanilla-like fragrance!
Some were a brilliant white!
It reminded me of freshly popped popcorn!
While others a pastel pink:
All the way to a dark redish pink:
As the seasons change and the year progresses different flowers come into bloom and are celebrated in turn.
February - Daffodils, and Plums
March /April - Cherry Blossoms
June - Hydrangea
Autumn has Momiji - Maple leaves, though they are colourful and beautiful enough to be honoured along with the flowers.
I'm sure there are many I have left off that brief list; as such I'll do some research and hope to bring more of these seasonal displays of beauty to the blog.
Thank you for your support!
The fish in the pond seemed quite hungry!
The fish would like you to vote, follow, and resteem if you feel so inclined!
@mweich thanks for posting such an informative post!
Having seen these pics closer than yesterday, I realized that my plum trees aren't having any yet .. so those ones are just leaves .. I was hoping they would this year :(
I want to inquire about what the constant daily weather is out there. Is it warm? How many degrees on the average are you guys actually having ?
I'm not sure what age plum trees start producing flowers and fruit (if you have a fruiting type). Currently, our temps are between 11C for the highs and about 2C or 3C for the lows.
@mweich they are just 3 or 4 years old.. I need to check my record notebook on those (yes, I keep track) :D very young maybe but as for the weather you guys are luckier .. we're brrrr cold here
share the warmth hahaha
I can't wait for the cherry blossom pics from you!
Thank you for the vote of confidence!
Yeah, it looks like (from google search) that you've got about 2 years until they start flowering. I have one fruiting variety of cherry in my garden but it's still far too early in the year to bloom, it is starting to form buds though!
@mweich would you please show that too and post for gardening cause I can't tell whether am having buds or just sprouts of leaves
I hope you do thank you in advance !
I'll try to get some shots of it this weekend, the rose bushes are also starting to bud. Budding plants might make a good post too. :)
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing. The fish do look hungry too. I've hand fed them at a lake years back, they just about climb out of the water to eat. How large were they?
Thank you! These were about 30-40cm long, koi get pretty big!
It looks like spring is in the air where you are. Are those plums strictly flowering plums, or will they produce fruit? Do you see many insects pollinating the flowers? Happy Spring! : )
I think these varieties were just the flowering kind, I'm not 100% sure of that though, but there were no little saplings scattered about. It's still too cold for almost all of the bugs, I've seen a few random flies but nothing was actively pollinating these flowers.
Sometimes those early bloomers are taking chances, especially about pollination. But if they are only the flowering kind, that would be OK, for sure. Enjoy all your springtime beauty!