Last year’s warm winter followed by 27 degrees the morning of April 10, 2012 (from 1:00 to 4:30, but who is keeping track) resulted in the buds (of 2011) not pollinating. Therefore, all the flowers did not bear little apples. The trees only grew vegetatively. There was no King bloom in 2012.

That's was then, and this is now. The buds formed last year and swelling now are about to make up for last year’s “no show”. We had the most spectacular show of bloom this year: first apricots, then crabapples, then plums and then apples. The King bloom attracted the honeybees to nectar, pollinating the blossoms, and the fruit is set!