The MGS Forum
Miscellaneous => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Umbrian on March 22, 2018, 03:04:06 PM
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I was rather surprised on seeing large bunches of Peach blossom for sale this morning in my local supermarket. At first I thought they were artificial but no they were large bunches of tall, thin branches covered in buds. I am sure we have all nipped of small twigs of fruit blossoms to enjoy the flowers, and often perfume, in the house but such commercial production of a fruiting tree merely for the blossom rather saddened me. ' Nipped in the bud' was my husband's ' comment. I wonder how fellow gardeners feel about this?
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I have occasionally cut two or three branches of blossom from wild peach trees along my road, knowing that the fruit would never make it to maturity what with birds and rats. But to stifle the peach at birth as it were, that goes against the grain!
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Peach blossom is highly prized in China, and why not? I found this article which may be of interest:
Xiuying, Z. (1995). THE SECOND REPORT IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF ORNAMENTAL PEACH-BLOSSOM CULTIVARS. Acta Hortic. 404, 102-109
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.404.17
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.404.17 (https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.404.17)
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We lived in Hong Kong while I was a child and I seem to remember mum buying bunches of peach blossom to use in tall vases in the house.
I presume they had orchards just for the cut-flower trade.
Maybe they were an ornamental variety which wouldn't produce edible fruit?
cheers
fermi
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To spend resources developing non fruiting varieties of Peach trees ( for example) just for the cut flower trade seems slightly ludicrous to me when there are so many wonderful flowers suitable for this trade. I wonder where the bunches I saw came from - the supermarket where I saw them is part of a large chain in Italy and so the amounts must be enormous and part of a huge commercial enterprise.
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I can't say I am terribly upset by non-fruiting varieties of peach trees, it's not that different from any other plants produced as cut flowers. In January they were selling magnolias branches here at the florists', my first reaction was: what a pity that they ruining the magnolia trees that way, but then I thought I would like to buy some of these (I didn't, though, they were ridiculously expensive).
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Carole, I have moved your message about the sad Trachelospermum, as a new topic: "Supermarket plant-abuse"