Various things can affect pollination......not just the availability or presence of active pollinators :-) Late winter/spring freezes when the blossom buds are forming is one of the most common. Some trees are alternate year bearers as well. Lack of suitable choices for cross pollination is another factor. If local pollinators are not apparent when your trees are blooming (and all other factors are considered), then look into orchard mason bees. These are very early appearing pollinators, typically active well before honey and bumble bees are on the scene and are extremely docile and easy to raise in home gardens.

A couple of years ago I slipped walking down a hill, and landed with my full weight on my stiff, straight right arm, jarring and wrenching my shoulder and upper back. I was sure I had torn muscles or bruised something. It hurt, but not so much that I wanted to let it affect me. I continued on with life despite the pain, including playing in my twice weekly volleyball league. The pain continued for weeks, and I wasn't even really connecting the ongoing pain with the earlier fall. On a couple of instances the pain became very much worse, but I thought I had merely over done it. Eventually I went to my PCP and was sent for an x-ray. Upon getting home from the x-ray the doctor called saying I had a broken rib in my upper back, and that it looked "funny" and asked me to go back in for more x-rays, immediately if possible. After the x-rays I was sent for a cat scan and later a bone scan. Because the break looked funny, ie. somewhat raggedy on the margins of the break, and because of its location, completely beneath my shoulder blade they were convinced that it was a bone lesion indicating bone cancer and they were looking for more. In the end though the break was most likely caused by the shoulder blade due to the fall, and the raggedy appearance was due to it partially healing and being rebroken at least twice. So the moral of the story is take it easy, and give your rib time to fully heal before too much physical activity -- such a shoveling snow.

Marvelous! I'm glad to see this is protected in a case. When my DH, DS and I visited St. Petersburg via cruise ship in 1991 (right before the collapse of the USSR), we visited the Hermitage. We didn't see this, but were astounded to find great works of art hung hanging in huge un-air-conditioned rooms with the windows flung wide open, attended only by 'babushka' (fat old ladies perched on chairs here and there). You had to wonder if these paintings were all reproductions! The Russian Orthodox churches we saw were also open to the dust and dirt and very, very dark. Streets were largely unpaved with few cars. Rare to see a man on the street wearing matching coat and pants. A fabulous, impoverished city!

Alana, your pics look like others I've seen of Ville de Lyon. It's really beautiful. I have one I bought as a bare root in a bag at Walmart a year or two ago. It hasn't bloomed yet but I'm really looking forward to it. From what I read it's very vigorous. At least I hope it's Ville de Lyon ...they called it " City of Lyon." Same color bloom on the package. Niobe is one I had some years ago and it seemed much darker...a very deep, burgundy red. Have a new one coming in from Brushwood soon. Your picture is beautiful, Gardengal.