In a world that is taking nature words out of children’t dictionaries, we need to continue to pass on our gardening knowledge as best we can. Here is a contribution from me to help you teach your children, your friends and family how to identify blossom.

Blossom usually occurs once a year, it can be difficult to remember what is what.

We have planted fifteen apple trees at Fairy Wren Cottage. The majority are heritage varieties and a couple are rescued from the rubbish pile that someone was throwing out!

Some ways that help me to id blossom.

1. Keep a map of your garden and what you have planted where.

2. Take photos at different times of the year, it helps to keep a visual journal.

3. Have a botanical id app on the phone. You take a photo and the app scans the photo then gives an id result. (Try to have a clear photo of the blossom and foliage, a clear background and no other plant in your photo). Flora Incognita is the app we have been using, not an advertisement or endorsement, just sharing.

4. There are some great little pocket botanical id books out. We often keep them on the coffee table to have a browse through. Plus we rotate them so we don’t get bored of them.

5. Stay curious, if you don’t recognise something, find out. A trip to the garden nursery is always productive, if something is flowering you are sure to find it at the garden centre too.

6. Believe it or not, there are some great children’s books that have very accurate descriptions of flowers. This is how our Lil learnt so much about plant id and could pretty much id everything in the garden by the time she was 5!

A great favourite of Lil’s was The Girls Book of Flower  Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker. Lil would spend hours studying this  hardcover book with its magenta velvet cover. I wouldn’t mind finding Lil  another copy, with so much use the cover is about to fall off! We would play a game, I would name a flower and Lil would find the flower fairy.

7. You know one of my favourite sayings – What You Put Your Energy Into Expands. The more interest you take, the more becomes familiar.

It’s Spring here in Tasmania and I’m sure all the rain we have had has really contributed to it being a wonderful year for blossom.

Sending Light and Love,

Jude x