Are trees much further on than normal?

[Dillybythesea]

I'm wondering if I'm imagining it, but here on the south coast in Hampshire it seems as though the trees and hedges are much further on than usual - conkers the size of golfballs, acorns lengthening, sloes, blackberries...

is anybody else thinking it? (Or did we say this last year, and the year before...?!)

[Paul mabbott]

Yes, happens most years but I think that the drought is having an effect - won't necessarily mean heavy crops just small early ones, I think. Ash keys and rowan fruit seem well ahead but a lot of fruits and foliage are actually dieing back. I heard someone on the radio last week saying that apple crops are about four weeks forward. My garden ones are all blushing red (including one that normally stays green!) but they are not very large - do apples and other fruit continue to grow after reddening?

[Dillybythesea]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

- do apples and other fruit continue to grow after reddening?

Hmmm - that's a good question, isn't it! I'm struggling to think back. I hope someone comes along to answer it!

[solus]

My apples are much more advanced than many other years but not very big. I suspect that is down to the lack of rain through much of the spring - and continuing up to now, for that matter.

I usually start to pick my Victoria Plums towards the end of August but this year the first ones were ripe during the last week of July - according to my Garden Diary, this is the earliest since 2004 when it was also the end of July, and that the earliest since the tree was planted in 1981!

Heading through the South Gloucestershire countryside towards Bath on 24 July the fields were being harvested (wheat, barley) and to me it looked more like late August than July... sort of end of season before things turn to autumn.

[Dillybythesea]

How sensible to keep a Garden Diary! And it sounds as though things really are pretty exceptional then. Certainly it feels here as though autumn's virtually upon us. I wonder how the summer-flying insects cope with having their life season shortened, and if it means there'll be fewer to emerge next year... Ah well.

[MeanMachine]

I agree, the Horse Chesnuts at my work are already losing leaves and the conkers are huge! I also have Sloes, Blackberries, all the Apple Trees and Cherrys are bigger than last year.