Unfortunately I think Lory's apple tree (which is currently in a pot) is a bit confused.
This tree was inadvertantly planted from an apple core a few years back when I had started putting green waste directly into the soil of the potplants in the garden.
Unfortunately this poor sapling didn't like living in Oudtshoorn very much and at one stage I was convinced it was dead, but it was simply dormant. It didn't seem to like the move to the Garden Route either and I put it in the shade for a while before just recently moving it into sunlight. I thought that it was going dormant again, but then I saw these new leaves a few days ago. We are heading into autumn now so I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but that green colour is stunning!
I've never successfully grown an apple tree before, so the fact that it's still alive after 1,5years and 3 moves - it must be pretty hard core. Maybe I can nurse it to better health by conditioning the soil this winter when it's dormant....anyone have any good tips for me?
The other plants that are looking happy at the moment happen to be our sunflowers - two of which opened a few days ago.
I can't believe how much pollen these flowers produce but strangely there haven't seemed to be any flying pollinators on them yet. Is that weird?
These things may seem like small and insignificant observations in the garden, but when you only have a handful of plants, it's really quite special to see them putting on a show like this.
I'm planning on getting a larger pot for the apple tree from one of the local nurseries. I haven't been to any of them in this area, so it should be an enjoyable adventure.
