Apple Ideas, Tips & Guides

Apple blossoms symbolize renewal, love, and innocence. They also connect to Celtic lore and have layers of meanings, making them a unique choice. You'll find various designs, from a single flower to intricate branches, each with its own significance. Why choose an apple blossom tattoo? Simple—they're beautiful, meaningful, and carry cultural significance, becoming a timeless part of you.

When we think about fruit trees, we are all like one had to wait for a minimum of 6-10 years before they could be ready to pick the harvest from. What if we told you there are some that get ready to fruit in no time?

Thinking about an apple tattoo? Apples symbolize knowledge, health, love, and temptation. In different colors, they convey passion, growth, or personal touch. The ink's meaning is personal, so pick a design that reflects your ideas. We've got cool apple ink ideas, like a tiny one on the shoulder or a snake wrapped around the fruit. Use these, get inspired, and get inked.

We have had a few days away visiting my Mum, and although I wouldn’t usually choose to leave the garden at this time of year it was a case of needs must. Fortunately, one of our neighbours can be relied on to water everything in the greenhouse in our absence, my main concern, and this is where I hot-footed it to on our return. Not only were the seedlings still thriving, but they looked increasingly sturdy and bursting with health, necessitating several hours in the last couple of days potting them on.

A pattern has emerged that I do not understand. On planting a new plum tree, it takes a couple of years to establish and then flowers and bears fruit for several years, whereupon it stops flowering altogether and just puts on growth. The same thing has happened with damsons and greengages, but apples and medlar in the same area are trouble free. My orchard sits on light, sandy, well-drained soil; the ground is manured at planting and a 1m grass-free circle is around each tree for its first five years. Have you any suggestions to get the trees reflowering? NH

Pears are very ornamental trees, bearing attractive spring blossom and gorgeous autumn colour, and the addition of delicious home-grown pears is a bonus.

We have lots of meetings coming up over the next few months, so be sure to keep a close eye on the Upcoming Events tab so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week, we have the Upstate Apple Meeting in Walhalla and the Midlands Strawberry Meeting in Saluda.

Although snowdrops are all but over, hellebores are still making a big statement in the garden and it could be easy to overlook other signs of early spring. I haven’t made a point of featuring hellebores in  a post this season, not yet anyhow, but thought I would begin my post that links with Jim’s Six on Saturday meme at Garden Ruminations with H ‘Glenda’s Gloss’, to show off her intriguing blooms – you don’t need to be able to look Glenda in the face to see how beautiful she is.

Pruning regularly is the best way to keep your shrubs and trees in good shape and produce the best display.

North Carolina’s diverse climate makes it great for growing many types of fruit trees, ranging from apples to pears. If you want to try growing more varieties, keep reading to know your options!

IPLANNED ANOTHER SLIDESHOW of what’s blooming here, the third weekly installment since spring 2011 started taking hold. And then…my camera angrily decided against it this morning, as I headed out to document the latest arrivals.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA-based but Southeast-bred Kevin West strikes me at once as a very modern and also a very old-fashioned guy–a great combination to my mind. Quotes from the classical Roman poet Virgil open the chapters in his book, “Saving the Season: A Cook’s Guide to Home Canning, Pickling and Preserving,” which is also loaded with old-fashioned fruits he hopes we haven’t forgotten about.

FROM AUGUST THROUGH OCTOBER, the natural symphony outside has the oddest percussion section: Thud. Plunk. (Short silence.) Thud-thud-thud-plunk.

How much dressing-to-greens you like is up to you. Make a cupful and use it through the week, or simply whisk small amounts of the basic ingredients to taste in the bottom of a large-enough-for-tossing bowl, and whisk before adding greens and the rest.for 1 cup of dressinglarge clove of raw garlic, grated (2 teaspoons of grated shallot can be substituted) 1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard, or to taste ¼ cup vinegar, a combination of red wine vinegar and balsamic ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste for the saladraw pumpkin seeds raw sunflower seeds crisp, not-too-sweet apple, sliced mixed greens stepsIn a jar or bowl, combine the dressi

Hey there, our fellow Apple lovers! Let’s take a bite out of the best Best Green Apple Varieties out there! You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! So, let’s get right into it and discover the most delicious and refreshing green apples on the market.

If you’re growing apple trees, I’m sorry to say you’re almost certainly going to become acquainted with one (or more) of the pests on this list at some point.I’m not saying that in the case of an infesta

My grandfather once owned an apple orchard in western Washington.One thing I remember h

Want to know How to Grow An Apple Tree in Container? We have all the tips and tricks to help you grow it easily in a limited space!

If you’ve planted an apple tree and wondered why it never produced more than a few beautiful blossoms, you’re in good company.Many of us will head out to the garden centers in

Also known as Osage orange, this strange-looking fruit is native to North America and is primarily known for its large, round, and bumpy appearance with a greenish-yellow color. The fruit is believed to have insect-repelling properties and use as a natural pest control method. Let’s have a look at What is a Hedge Apple and Are Hedge Apples Edible or not.

Apple cider vinegar is a preparation made from apples with the help of yeast and sugar. The process starts by crushing the apples. Sugar and yeast are then mixed with it to initiate the fermentation process. The alcohol produced from the sugar is then processed through a second fermentation process using acid-forming bacteria resulting in the formation of vinegar.  

Apples are a beloved fruit that comes in a wide variety of flavors, textures, and sweetness levels. Among them, some apple varieties are particularly renowned for their exceptional sweetness, offering a delightful and satisfying snacking experience. Here are some of the sweetest apple varieties you should try.

Learn how to take care of Apple Mint and discover the various ways you can use this fragrant herb in cooking and for its healing properties.

Looking back on it now I fail to see the fun in apple bobbing but for some bizarre reason, fun it was. In fact, sticking your head into a dustbin of freezing cold water with your hands tied behind your back whilst desperately trying to latch onto an apple with your incisors before you drowned was the absolute pinnacle of Halloween fun. Trick or treat ? Pah. I can only assume that this game was conjured up by someone desp

Rusts are fungi that will not kill their hosts, although they sure make them suffer. There is even a term for pathogens that require living hosts: biotrophs (in contrast to necrotrophs, pathogens that kill their host and live off the dead tissue).Think Gloria Gaynor – your plants will survive! However, repeated infections of this pat

Us gardeners tend not to like sharing our fruits and vegetables, especially not with wriggling maggots, and least of all when we find them in one of our favorite types of produce: apples.Unfortunately, flies like Rhagoletis pomonella don’t ask be

Elevate your experience of tasting flavorful fruits with these exceptional picks of the best Yellow Apple Varieties in this article.

Crabapple does not need any introduction; it’s very popular because of the colorful and hardy nature. It is a low maintenance tree; however, it does require pruning from time to time. Even if it doesn’t require heavy pruning, knowing the right way is essential, so you don’t end up jeopardizing the tree’s health. Here are all the details on Pruning Crab Apple Tree the right way!

Bot rot, also known as white rot, is caused by the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. Infection can result in a complex of diseases – two types of fruit rot and cankers on the limbs and twigs.This pathogen infects not only apples and crabapples but also a number

Looking for a plant that combines ornamental beauty with a refreshing, fruity taste? Then have yourself a gander at the plant known as apple mint.As an avid, near-pathological gum chewer,

I have to admit, when somebody says, “Imagine a tree,” I envision an apple tree, and when they say “Think about a fruit,” my mind jumps to apples right away. It only makes sense that I think growing apple trees is a gardening high art.Part of that love and appeal comes from being raise

The fungus Botryosphaeria obtusa can cause devastating losses to apples and crabapples over a wide geographical range and especially in warm humid climates.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our li

If there’s a more eye-catching bonsai than an apple tree in fruit, I don’t know what it is. The contrast in scale between the full-sized fruits on the tiny tree is pretty striking.We link to vendors to help you fi

The fungus Armillaria is truly a menace to apples and a number of other fruit trees, ornamentals, crops, and shrubs.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you

If you see spots on your apples, you may be tempted to think “Oh no!  Fungal or hail injury.” However, there may be another cause, especially if your apple trees are York Imperial, Golden Delicious, or Delicious cultivars.It could be an easily curable physiologic

If you’ve ever seen apple trees growing in the wild, you may already know they are privy to a wide range of diseases. But what about homegrown apples?An apple enjoyed fresh off the tree is delectable, but