Growing Together- The Wonder of Nature

I took an Orchard class this winter and early spring.  It was time to learn to care for my orchard—old trees and new.  What I learned first of all, was that I didn’t know very much and had made a raft of mistakes in tree selection, planting, training and pruning.
     In the third class, we learned how to graft and were given a root stock and a scion (fruitwood) to graft onto it.  I went through the motions with not much hope that the graft would take.  It was a first time attempt and a rather demanding process.
     But, when I checked the little tree about a month later, it was putting on growth both below and above the graft.  Amazing!  The graft worked…and I did it myself.  I can hardly wait for winter to collect scions and start grafting like crazy next spring.
     But that is not the end of the story.  Yesterday I was showing a friend my herb garden where I had ‘parked’ my little tree.  I looked at it…and looked again!  Above the graft were not only leaves, but also a cluster of blossoms.  What a wonder!
     My little grafted tree is preparing to produce fruit (Akane apples).  I will have to find out if I should pull the blossoms for this year, but still, what a wonder nature is! 
     Nature will overcome our ignorance, ineptitude and indifference, and, if given a chance, return to us a bounty.  That’s why I love gardening…so much to learn and such a forgiving, generous nature! 
     I hope that your hands are sunk deep in the good earth and the bounty is starting. – Joe