Tuesday, April 26, 2016

The Centurion Crabapple tree


This tree has stolen my heart over the years, but I never would
have thoughtit possible. It was such an ugly duckling when I
first brought it home because it had been left in it's nursery pot
too long and was very root bound. I bought it because it was
cheap at $50.00, marked down from$100.00 and the only one I
could afford at the time.It was the second tree (the first was a southwest
border pine) I had bought for this garden and when I got it home it
looked so lonesome sitting in it's place that the next day I went
and bought another one just like it (root-bound at all) and planted it
a few feet away in the lawn behind the house.

For the first five years they put on very little growth,
the result of being in pots too small for the size of root ball.
I almost had my husband pull them out several times, but thought
I would give them one more year to show what they could do,
and that went on year after year.


 Slowly the tree was taking on a decent shape and growing well.
Even in the beginning though, it would flower so abundantly that I decided
I could get used to them and let them stay.



I am so glad I did!
They have finally grown into beautiful trees and have totally
redeemed themselves in the eye of this gardener.




The bloom of this tree is so interesting in that it starts out this deep deep pink
and very soon after it opens, the blooms turn to the palest pink and the branches are
so packed that you can hardly see the leaves.
 

Thank you Centurion for being so beautiful!


I think I got a good return on my $100 !


Don't you love it when an ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan ?



34 comments:

La Vie Quotidienne said...

When I saw this I thought oh good...another wonderful post. I always look forward to your posts. This one stuck a special chord as I love Crabapple trees. I have two crabapple allees in my garden, one in the front and a newer one in the back. I have been trying for two years now to find an additional tree for the back allee with no success. Then, a few weeks ago while weeding around the base of one on the existing trees I found a sucker, dug it up and potted it and it is doing very well. It would seem that I finally found my missing tree!

Your trees must be very, very beautiful, as you live in a much better zone to grow them, here I am really pushing it. If you want to increase your grove you can propagate the suckers.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

When I saw this I thought oh good...another wonderful post. I always look forward to your posts. This one stuck a special chord as I love Crabapple trees. I have two crabapple allees in my garden, one in the front and a newer one in the back. I have been trying for two years now to find an additional tree for the back allee with no success. Then, a few weeks ago while weeding around the base of one on the existing trees I found a sucker, dug it up and potted it and it is doing very well. It would seem that I finally found my missing tree!

Your trees must be very, very beautiful, as you live in a much better zone to grow them, here I am really pushing it. If you want to increase your grove you can propagate the suckers.

Blondie's Journal said...

So, so pretty, June! I love the bright blooms! I have a large bush at the lake---wish I knew the name but I'm not good at that sort of thing...the previous owners planted so many different species from Michigan to Wisconsin. Perhaps someone knows...but it looked like we had lost it 3 years ago. Hubby was going to pull it out but I insisted on trimming the heck out of it and now it is gorgeous. Sometimes being patient has its virtue.

Jane

Betsy said...

I love this story. Thank you for sharing it. They are beautiful.
Blessings,
Betsy

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

Those trees have rewarded your patience, dear June. Good thing you gave them a chance. The couldn't have found a better garden to grow in. The trees are just gorgeous now and your pictures are stunning as always.
Enjoy your lovely trees! :)
Hugs,
Julia

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

It's beautiful and definitely worth the wait.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Lately I've been seeing posts on Crabapples in bloom and seeing yours makes me love them even more. The blooms are beautiful and would be a joy to see each spring. Glad you rescued these two trees and that they are rewarding you with their beauty.

Happy Gardening dear June ~ FlowerLady

roughterrain crane said...

I am very lucky to have a chance to read your story. Your patience finally got a tremendously precious present from nature. May I smile with angels?

Unknown said...

What a terrific story June! It's such a beautiful tree, and I'm enjoying seeing all of your lovely photography on IG. We're currently trying to rehab a sick cherry tree out in the back garden. We cut it way back last year and nearly lost the hydrangea garden without the afternoon shade it had provided. It seems to be coming back... slowly. Fingers crossed! xo Sally

Diane said...

It is a beautiful tree, June. We had one in our backyard when we moved here 30 years ago. It put on a wonderful show and the birds and squirrels had homes in it. Then a few years ago a big branch broke off. Then the tree man said it was dying , so it was decided to cut it down. I cried so hard and talked to the tree (??) the night before they cut it down. I still miss it. Diane

Barbara Lilian in France said...

So nice that you were patient with the growth of your Crab Apple trees, and your loving kindness and tender care has paid you back in an abundance of beautiful blossom, and you have more to come when those dark pink buds open their petals into full blown pale pink blossom. two gifts in one session.
Our soil is very acid so I have to choose carefully what I can plant & have success with. I need lots of compost to dig into the ground and my digging days are over, other wise I would rush out and buy a Crab Apple tree right now. Thank you June for sharing the beauty in your garden.

Bella's Rose Cottage said...

Hi June,
Your ugly ducking is quiet the swan now! Lovely! That is a lot like my snowbell tree, it was a sad little root bound nothing when I bought it, it was sooo cheap. It thrived, happy for a chance I think....
Hugs,
Bella

Dorthe said...

So very beautiful they are June, are they crababble tree`s ? I have a very small tree, here, with flowers looking just like these...but oh your amount is amazing, dear .It must be so wonderful, being able to see them bloom with so many adorable pink flowers, and after to see the apples all over !
It will be some months before I can show you my tree blooming .
Hugs and love from Dorthe

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

What a nice story! The blossoms must bring you so much joy every spring. Yours is the perfect tale of the nurturing it takes to be a good gardener. One of your many talents! So wonderful that you share with the rest of us!

DD's Cottage said...

I love the red/pinks of this tree and it is a beauty now!

bobbie said...

Beautiful!! Oh, what love can do...

Did you get any of the howling winds this week? It was awful here!

Hugs ~

Home and Lifestyle said...

You have given both trees your patient, so they sent you a lot of flowers. It's a wonderful story :-).

I hope everything is okay!! Wish you a wonderful spring! Hugs, Ingrid

Victoria said...

I definitely would never have guessed that beautiful tree was once an ugly duckling! The color is so vibrant and lovely! I wish I had half the green thumb you have. I'm struggling to keep a Hibiscus plant alive on my front porch:( It's so tricky here in FL, if you under water them they die, if you over water them they grow all sorts of funky mold!!! Oh well, I can just come here and gaze at your lovely garden:)

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

So lovely, June...the blossoms are a beautiful color. And I love your story of giving the trees a chance to grow and thrive...xo

Susie said...

June, I think your tree is worth way more than you paid. Don't you love that nice a deal? When we plant our crabapple..it's trunk was so thin and so very straight. The tree has remade so straight and healthy....but the winds here have it all leaning to the east and only one branch pointing west. It looks as if half of the tree is missing...but it blooms and looks very pretty. Blessings to you and yours, Hope all is well in your area. Blessings, xoxo, love, Susie

Things and Thoughts said...

It seems that everything in nature has soul and feelings... Plants need to be loved and give back the attention we pay on them.Love your pictures June, they always carry something very delicate and tender...
Happy weekend!
Olympia

an angel at my table said...

Lovely to hear that sometimes you don't have any expectation at all and it turns out beautiful. But its worse the other way around!!! Beautiful pictures I hope you show us when they are in full bloom. Now we are curious. All the best Mari

Julie Marie said...

Oh yes, dear June... your blossoms are absolutely stunning!... so happy Spring is arriving for you!... xoxo... Julie Marie

Daniela said...

I so love you, my darling June, and all the Beauty you always share ... this tree of yours, for example, is truly stunning, I'd love to have such a plant in my gardens ... actually I love all the trees belonging to the family of apple trees, they've such wonderful shades of pink, but it's not far too easy to find it in the nurseries we have near us, alas !
Enjoy it, it has become truly a wonderful swan !

Hope you're having a wonderful Spring, Sweetest One, I'm sending blessings of joy on your weekend ahead,
with my dearest love and gentle hugs

Dany

john said...

Lovely crab apple ....your patience has been rewarded ! have a lovely weekend...Gail x

HWIT BLOGG said...

So beautiful! What a lovely crab apple...
Have a great weekend, take care!
Titti

Ricki Treleaven said...

June, will you post them again after they turn pale pink? I want to see!!! Such a neat story, too.

Susan Shull said...

Oh, yes, I do! The perfect example of each of us in the love of Christ. I got a new design on my blog and my blogs aren't on my sidebar anymore so I've not been by for a visit in a while. Hope you are doing very, very, very well!

Rostrose said...

Dearest June,
I think, these trees are grateful - that's the reason why the give their best: You gave them a chance - and they love you and say thanks with a wonderful bloom!
Lots of hugs, my dear,
Traude
http://rostrose.blogspot.co.at/2016/04/flache-schuhe-diy-schuhe-schone-bluten.html

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

These trees are troopers for sure. I have a funny crabapple tree story:

We bought a thin, spindly sapling a few years ago to add to the many trees on our property because their blooms are so beautiful! We planted it where I told hubs I wanted it and it did so well.............too well............I had it planted too close to the house.

So we moved it. Only to have to uproot it yet again and move it because we had landscaping done and it wasn't in the right spot. At that time I had my zen room (my covered patio room) and I thought to myself that there's no way this tree is going to survive all these re-plantings. I know, I still feel awful about it, actually. I am a tree hugger, not a tree killer! So I had hubs put it in a gigantic pot we had and it kept me company all summer looking pretty and helping shade that west facing patio room. Then we winterized it and it sat in that pot all winter. The following year - hubs had pity on the poor ailing tree I all but murdered...and thought to give it a new life chance and planting it on the back tree line just in case it would make it. It was oddly shaped and half dead and I felt bad everytime I looked at it. But each year it has done better and better - and this year I noticed it is AWESOME! It is large, and shapely and blooming like crazy and doing great.

So yes, those are hardly trees - at least around here - and I am so glad it faired well, in spite of my inexperience. : - )

Glad yours have, too. Hugs.

Madelief said...

And what a beauty the three has become June. Your captured it beautifully!

Have a lovely day!

Madelief x

Victorian1885 said...

Dear June
Your tree is glorious and I am so glad you gave it a chance in your lovely garden.
Thank you for the lovely comment on my Blog last week! I too believe we are kindred spirits and would be fast friends!
Our Blogging friendship means allot to me and I love all of my visits to your heavenly home and beautiful gardens.
I look forward to opening my feed and seeing your next post soon. Enjoy your time working your magic in the soil.
Hugs,
Wanda

Pondside said...

They are such beautiful trees, June, and you were wise to keep them, year after year. This year we asked for permission to remove a rather limp and struggling maple from the front of our house. We are the only house on the street without a blossoming tree and I thought a crab-apple would be just the thing. We were denied permission, so I will have to think about whether or not there is room in the back garden for one. I love the shades of pink!

Bernideen said...

Lovely beautiful photos - loved it!