In Bloom: Cherries

Back at the little cottage we moved from, I saw a great deal on a combo cherry tree, but could not convince myself to put it in the ground. I moved it into a larger planter and left it, having a feeling in my gut we wouldn’t be in that house for much longer. And I was right…as the city life that I pictured returning to wasn’t the thrill it was in my earlier years, and a neighborhood who keeps its porch lights on night and day while gossiping on Nextdoor was just not what I could deal with. I didn’t want the isolation of the farm, but I didn’t want to live where I could hear a man in the middle of a mental breakdown shoot my nextdoor neighbor in the back fifteen feet from where I sat, followed by creepy scum reporters from the fascist-owned station pretending to care while talking a blue streak about our ‘crime ridden city’ and doing nothing to actually help or empower the community. I needed a place to plant my cherry tree where I could quietly sit and admire the blossoms and the bees and bask in the sun next to my sweetheart on a beautiful afternoon. I needed a town where we could be left TF alone but also share a glass of wine on occasion with neighbors, share fruit from our gardens, and say hello in the street with real trust.

When I saw the house last summer, I knew the cherry had a place to spread out. This combo Montmorency/Lapins/Black Tartarian has embraced it’s prime corner spot that gets allllll the sun, and the first blooms are on the Black Tartarian section. An heirloom cherry, it came over from Russia to the UK in the late 1700s then over to America in the 1800s. Previously named "“Ronald’s Large Black Heart,” it’s supposed to have very dark heart-shaped fruit…and be adored by birds. (So it’s quite a good thing that I kept most of my huge fruit tree covers once the bees are done with it! )

I couldn’t be more excited for this new chapter!

"Here's an idea: let's get over ourselves, buy a cherry pie, and go fall in love with life." ~ Tom Robbins