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Went for a wander around a sacred place today and joy of joys ...Sloe blossom and theres tons of it ... so lets pray the Frost Giants stay away this year...

I'm sure that that's what I have grown in my garden, I always called it Blackthorn, my neighbour loves it but insists it's a Cherry.

The white blossoms look stunning on the slate black boughs

Blackthorns are sloes aren't they? I thought so anyway.

MW

Yes, they are.

And that is a fantastic photo, I'l need to start taking regular walks in the woods to find some and I wouldn't have recognised it without your photo, Thankyou

Thanks Ann Pan, I thought I was just being thick!

MW

Yep blackthorn it is ... supposed to be really good for walking sticks but I never see a piece that could be used for a stick... I only knew it was sles blossom because I know where the sloes grow and as soon as I saw this one I went to other spots I know and there it all was was... You can make a tea using the blossom ... good for constipation... gemtly does it.

Frost isn't a problem for blossom, least not where I live where it's been frosty every morning and the blossom is out on many of the fruit trees. It's the rain which keeps away all the pollinating insects which is the reason why we had so little fruit last year. However I've just read something predicting a drought in France this year so bang go my plums if I can't get the seep hose out to keep the fruit on the trees! They are loaded with blossom/flower buds this year, never seen so much on them before and with all this sunshine the bees are having a field day!

Silver Ether wrote:Yep blackthorn it is ... supposed to be really good for walking sticks but I never see a piece that could be used for a stick... ...........................

nod nod, most of the blackthorn round here is in hedgerows and is twiggy due to many cuts - but mine is more small-tree-like as I havn't chopped it - I do have a walking stick from one stem that was encroaching into nextdoor's