A quick getaway …
Fearing another lockdown in Brisbane and the concomitant shutting of the Tasmania border to travel from Queensland, Cath and I decided that I should make a bolt for the farm. The main reason was to ensure that at least one of us was on the ground to help prepare for the settlement date of the sale of Cath’s mum’s house. As I can work just as well remotely, the very pleasurable task of flying off to Hobart at short notice fell to me.
Since I left the farm in early September, there has been a lot of spring rainfall (I tipped 110mm out of our rain gauge on arrival) which has helped the early spring growth. This very positive influence was however offset somewhat by some rather cold temperatures and severe late frosts. I was immediately struck by the fact that all the apple and cherry orchards between Huonville and Franklin, particularly those down at the lower levels near the river, are all in blossom. The bare twigs of a few weeks ago have now been transformed into masses of white and pink flowers. The vines, however, are yet to show evidence of life. There is also enough variation to suggest the real importance of micro climate.
On arrival at Cracroft farm I immediately did an inspection tour. The crab apple tree is in full blossom and looks magnificent. The same can’t be said for the 4 ornamental pears on either side of the crab apple. They appear to have taken a leaf out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show done a bit of a time warp. Two of the trees are still clinging to last year’s leaves and show no signs either of wanting to rid themselves of the old foliage or of generating any white blossom. The other two have lots of new leaves but very little blossom. We can only hope that they discover their mojo next year. All the other trees in the front garden are looking very healthy, with little shoots of new growth evident. The Chinese pistachio and the magnolia stellatus (Leonard Messel) are looking particularly good.
I then walked around to the domestic orchard. To my absolute astonishment and delight all 18 of the tiny bare twigs that we planted in July have started to shoot. One of plum trees is sticking out well above its green cardboard tree guard and one of the early cropping apple trees actually has some vibrant pink blossom. I can’t properly describe the immense feeling of joy at seeing all the little trees looking alive and well. I will need to make some wire guards to augment their protection now that blossom is starting to show. I then walked up to the proposed site of the veggie patch and looked at the trees that we planted to provide some protection from the wind. The 4 Manchurian pears are all flourishing with lots of new growth, so hopefully they will have had a good enough start to survive the dryer summer season.
The only trees that remain stubbornly dormant are the ash trees: the 5 claret ash planted along the eastern boundary and the 3 golden ash planted behind the Manchurian pears along the southern boundary. We were warned by the nursery that bare-rooted ash trees take a very long time to settle in. We are hoping that this is the case here.
To fulfil my brief for coming down to Tasmania in the first place, this weekend I drove up north and started the long process of packing up the house in Devonport. The main positive to come out of the weekend was transporting a carload of plant pots packed with tulips and other bulbs back to the Huon, where they have temporarily taken up residence on the deck. The tulips have been gorgeous this year, providing a real splash of red, purple and white to brighten the whole garden.
Cath is due to fly down next Friday and then from Saturday to Tuesday we are booked in to do the Three Capes Track (https://www.threecapestrack.com.au) as a belated 30th wedding anniversary celebration held over from last year. While I don’t plan to carry my trusty laptop with me on the walk, I hope to be able to provide a faithful account of our adventures when we get back. All we have to hope for now is that Brisbane stays Covid stable for the next four days …
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