Saving My Apple Trees From Garden Mischief to New Beginnings

A couple of years ago, I had these little cuties running around in our garden.

As adorable as they were, they ate absolutely everything, including my potted apple and cherry trees. They even chewed on the trunks, and both trees nearly died.

I hated seeing them in a cage, so I let them roam freely. But because they were such voracious eaters, a relative eventually took them to fill his empty cage, which made them, and me happy!

The cherry tree was a gift from my brother, and the apple tree came from my previous home. Thankfully, I managed to save them both, and now they’re doing really well.

And bearing flowers!

The apple tree was grown from a seedling I dug up years ago. The original tree produced apples with a sherbet-like flavour, one of the nicest I’ve ever tasted. I wanted to preserve that, so I nurtured the little seedling into a proper young tree.

The year after the tree was almost destroyed, I noticed it growing a few root shoots.

Wanting to save its energy, I decided to dig them up today and cut the connecting roots.

I transferred one into a larger pot and planted the other in the ground, just slightly off to the side of my window. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to watch it bloom and bear fruit right from inside the house.

These two could be one tree, but I separated them so each could grow into its own tree.

They have lovely upright trunks, and I could imagine them growing beautifully as young trees.

There was also a tiny shoot with its own roots.

I also dug it up.

I placed it in a bonsai pot. I can just imagine a miniature apple tree someday!

Moss grows very well here, so I added some on top to help retain moisture.

I really hope all the apple shoots survive and that the ones planted in the ground will establish themselves nicely and one day will give us blooms and fruits. :)

Apart from having a few apple trees, my little bonsai conkers from a few years ago have a new companion.

Have a lovely day,
Mariah 💚