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May Trees

Redbud 'Flame Thrower' (Cercis canadensis) As May comes to an end, I thought I would share some trees that look good now.  First, the insanely beautiful 'Flame Thrower' redbud. I always hesitate to praise this tree because of their finicky nature. So far, so good on this one which is near our front door.  Snowbell and 'Wolf's Eyes' Dogwood in the background The Snowbell tree ( Styrax japonica ) has been spectacular for many weeks. I was up on the roof of the garden shed this morning and got an aerial view of it. It looks so much larger from above. The blooms are so heavy that the branches are bending down. A few years ago, I recall standing underneath it and the roar from bees buzzing around it was deafening. Last week, I was saddened to hear no bees at all. Fortunately, there are some a week later but not nearly as many as in the past. On the opposite side is 'Wolf's Eye' Dogwood ( Cornus kousa ) which always delivers. This is a small dogwood c...
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Apples & Peaches


Our forlorn apple tree still stands despite my constant plans for removing it. Since the trunk of it is the size of a small house, taking it out is something to think about. And heaven forbid hiring someone to trample over my plants. So it remains. Every year, in the dead of winter, I cut it back although several of the limbs are difficult to reach and some always remain. This year, I cut more than I usually do and only two or three large branches still stood, reaching straight up into the sky. 

Judging from the apples this year, maybe I'm doing something right -

However, it is hard to find a good apple unless it is picked from the tree (hard to reach). The ones on the ground always have bad spots on them. We've never treated the tree for disease or insects and the thought of doing that doesn't appeal to me. 

I usually make at least one pie or cake every year from the unblemished apples I am able to retrieve. 



My go-to apple recipe is the French Apple Tart from Ina Garten. I make it at least twice a year. I form it differently from her though and instead of making it flat, I fold up the edges like a galette.

A friend brought us some peaches and again, I turned to Ina for a recipe and tried this Peach Cake which turned out nicely.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 21, 2022 at 10:42 AM

    Hopefully, the apple tree's performance this year has earned it at least another year's reprieve ;) I inherited 2 persimmon trees which have never done much until this year - it's too bad that neither my husband nor I care for persimmons. Most will go to friends, neighbors and the critters.

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  2. Hoover BooSeptember 30, 2022 at 4:01 PM

    Yummy! Ina Garten's recipes are deee-lish!

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  3. RobinLOctober 2, 2022 at 3:29 PM

    Peach cake! I’ve longed for a peach pie all summer, but just couldn’t find nice peaches. Phooey!

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  4. AngieOctober 7, 2022 at 6:23 AM

    Oh yum! The apple tarts looks amazing. My mother in law has apple trees and this year for some reason I am into making homemade applesauce. Thank you for sharing!

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