Tree Topics: Volunteer tree is a story of patience

A  number of years ago a “volunteer” tree appeared in the landscaping along my driveway.

I was used to baby dogwoods, redbuds, maples and oaks, but this was different.

A session with the tree book led me to believe that I had an apple tree. But it did not bloom. I decided to give it time. Each year it grew larger, but still there were no blooms, no apples.

Finally, during an afternoon of yard work on a day when I had vowed to show no mercy to underperforming plants, I cut it down. One snip of the pruners, and it was gone.

But that tree came back. Don’t you just love Mother Nature?

Several more years went by. The tree grew, but there were no blooms, no apples. I finally decided that I must have identified the tree incorrectly, so I dropped a leaf off at the county extension office in Blountville and asked for it to be identified.

The next day I came home to find a message on my answering machine saying that they could not tell what type of apple tree it was without the fruit. I was just delighted to know for sure it was an apple tree.

When I called and talked to Chris Ramsey, the extension agent, he informed me that apple trees grown from seed do not necessarily resemble their parent tree and that it may not bear fruit for a number of years

So I waited some more. Somewhere during those years, I heard a story about a farmer who had cut down a seedling apple tree. The tree regrew, and the farmer left the tree because he felt it must be the Lord’s will. That tree was the ancestor of some wonderful apple variety.

I have not been able to verify that story, but I love a good story whether or not it is true. So, I waited some more.

Two years ago, in the spring my tree finally developed buds. When the blossoms opened, the tree was covered in white. At last I would get to see what type of apple tree I had.

It didn’t have to be a great eating apple. I grew up with two apple trees in the yard that produced sour cooking apples, but they made the best pies and cider. We climbed on those trees and played in their shade until a disease killed them.

At last the fruit began to grow, and I was amazed to realize that what I had was a crabapple. Somehow I had not considered that possibility.

I believe it is important to learn from other people’s experiences. Serendipitous gardening is fine if you have the room and the time. But if you really want an apple tree, there are better ways to approach the problem. I’ll discuss that next time.

Meanwhile, I am looking forward to this spring when my crabapple will hopefully bloom again. I have named the variety “Nancy’s Folly.”

 

NANCY ESTES is a member of the Bristol Tennessee Tree City USA Board. She may be contacted at (423) 652-7460.