Here is the last top I grafted. You can kind of see the green tips coming out on the right side. This growth might all get pruned out as the tree fills in, but I will get lots of scion wood latter from it. I just grafted it nine days ago! Its been raining a lot here. Things are really starting to green up. My plan was to make this tree all Granny Smith. Then I was having a hard time getting the scion wood. Big Horse Orchard said They had the next best thing called Rhode Island Greening so I thought I would get a couple of those. I finally found some Granny Smith in Ohio. He was kind enough to send a surprise of an extra scion of Antonecova, so I put that on two branches. It makes it a three in one now, but mostly Granny Smith. I think it will really go nuts with growth this year. I can't wait to see. I noticed the Granny Smith is last to break dormancy as you can see the lower buds on last years grafts in the background are still dormant.

Granny Smith is an apple worth growing especially as you should have a long enough season to ripen it adequately. Yes, these are commonly available in grocery stores, but the ones I've tasted from there are almost universally unripe - the tree ripened ones are much better - crispier, sweeter and more flavorful. Plus they can last at high quality until the following May under proper refrigeration.

Thank you all. Debra and Rita, Gary Colby really showed well that day and I was impressed. I was beginning to think that it is mainly for hybridizing, but it sure can be very pretty. Let us see how it comes about next year. Vickie, Natalie Antoinette looks like it will be a very good performer. I haven't seen it blotch. The color and form are always very good. Julia and Maryl, I really like Granny Smith. The edge is just amazing. It can be a little bit more yellow at the end of the day, but not all the time. The edge always seems to be a different shade. I am really impressed with the ruffling. I have started to use its pollen. It's nice to look forward to how its babies will look like. Petalpatsy, I first saw Captain Blue at Water Mill gardens, but it was high noon, then. It wasn't looking at all like the web picture. Captain Blue's color is unique. I don't have anything like it in the yard. It has grown a lot on me. I love it! Bj

I have been devouring that new PB catalog too - the paint colors throughout are all stunning! If it's the color I think it is, I believe it's Benjamin Moore's "Jalapeno Pepper." Kind of a bright color, right? In the "big book" catalog I received from PB a few weeks ago, they had a center in the section that identified all the paint. I remember this one because a neighbor of mine is looking for an energetic green, and we looked at it for her home office. By the way, I just checked the Benjamin Moore site, and they actually have a section devoted to "Pottery Barn," so you can look up the colors shown in the catalog ... and I'd bet this is indeed the one you have in mind. Check the link below for the full array. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: BM's current Pottery Barn colors