Spring Blossoms at Frog Hollow Farm

Spring Blossoms at Frog Hollow Farm

After a cold winter with hopefully enough chill hours (hours of temperatures below 45°F) our stone fruit trees enter their next phase of life - bloom! But before full bloom, there are few recognizable stages that we identify on the farm. First is “bud swell” - this is when the fruit buds start to fatten up. Then comes “red bud” stage, when the buds are plump and red, followed by “popcorn” stage, when the petals peak out slightly making buds look like popped corn. Finally the full flower pushes out and we are in full bloom.

First Bud Swell on Peaches
First Bud Swell on Peaches

Red Bud on Peaches
Red Bud on Peaches

Popcorn and First Blooms on Pluots
Popcorn and First Blooms on Pluots


Once flowers emerge, our pollinator friends (bees, butterflies, wind etc.) spread pollen from tree to tree, fertilizing the flowers, which will then turn into fruit. Interestingly, probably only 10-20% of the blossoms on our trees actually set fruit. Even if most of the blooms were fertilized, all that fruit would not be able to fit on a tree - imagine how loaded the tree would be! Not only would there be no space for all that fruit, but the flavor and sweetness would be compromised. This is also why we thin (remove immature fruit) off our trees in early summer, to reduce the crop load and redirect energy towards the highest quality fruit, with optimum size and flavor.

With so many different fruit varieties on our farm, that also means we get to experience many different bloom colors! This year, we have identified some of the most beautiful varieties to bloom at Frog Hollow Farm to share with you below:

Princess Time Peach
Princess Time Peach

  • Fruit: Peach
  • Variety: Princess Time
  • Overview: Princess Time is the first peach to bloom and newest variety at Frog Hollow. The budding young branches on these 2 year old trees made great floral decorations in our office this year.
  • Bloom: Mid-February
  • Harvest: Early June


Galaxy White Peach
Galaxy White Peach

  • Fruit: Peach
  • Variety: Galaxy White
  • Overview: A new peach variety on the farm, these Galaxy White Peaches (also known as white “donut” peaches) produce big, deep pink flowers early in the season.
  • Bloom: Mid-February
  • Harvest: Late May


June Glo Nectarine
June Glo Nectarine

  • Fruit: Nectarine
  • Variety: June Glo
  • Overview: Scattered within our Ruby Grande Nectarine orchard, the June Glo is the first tree to bloom at Frog Hollow, with bright, rosy pink flowers.
  • Bloom: Late January
  • Harvest: Early June


August Red Nectarine
August Red Nectarine

  • Fruit: Nectarine
  • Variety: August Red
  • Overview: The August Red, hot pink lipstick flowers started to show up in late February on the farm. The small-petaled flowers don’t cover the branches as densely as other varieties, but they are quite vivid in color.
  • Bloom: Late February
  • Harvest: Early August


Apache Apricot
Apache Apricot

  • Fruit: Apricot
  • Variety: Apache
  • Overview: First apricot to bloom at Frog Hollow Farm, the Apache Apricot produces pale pinkish white blossoms that give off a fragrant sweet scent.
  • Bloom: Early February
  • Harvest: Late April / Early May


Kettleman Apricot
Kettleman Apricot

  • Fruit: Apricot
  • Variety: Kettleman
  • Overview: The Kettlemans produce fluffy and plump white petals with a sweet aroma. The bees absolutely love these trees.
  • Bloom: Late February
  • Harvest: Mid-May


Dapple Dandy Pluot
Dapple Dandy Pluot

  • Fruit: Pluot
  • Variety: Dapple Dandy
  • Overview: First pluot to bloom at the farm, the Dapple Dandy produces bright white, yellowish flowers that give off an intense aroma. The bees love them!
  • Bloom: Late February
  • Harvest: Early July


Emerald Beaut Plum
Emerald Beaut Plum

  • Fruit: Plum
  • Variety: Emerald Beaut
  • Overview: While they look and smell similar to the Dapple Dandy blossoms, the Emerald Beauts come later and are greener in color.
  • Bloom: Early March
  • Harvest: Late August

Royal Tioga Cherry
Royal Tioga Cherry

  • Fruit: Cherry
  • Variety: Royal Tioga
  • Overview: The Royal Tioga cherries are a new variety at Frog Hollow, which require less chill hours than the Bings and Rainiers. They bloom weeks ahead of the other cherries and smell like fragrant old-school cherry candy.
  • Bloom: Early March
  • Harvest: Early May

(Photos by Alexa Senter, Rachel Sullivan and Alex Grant)

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