"I notice as you go towards the end of the scaffolding branches, the nodes get closer and closer to a point where they are really close. Are these flowering buds or leaf buds?" On more upright vigorous shoots the nodes are more sparse and the buds more vegetative toward the base of the shoot. Toward the tip, the buds tend to be a few more flower buds. As Hman indicated, you can identify flower buds by their rounder nature. A common combination is one flower bud flanked on either side by vegetative buds (VFV). It's also common to see just one vegetative bud on a node (V). Less common is one vegetative and one flower bud on a node (FV), or two flower buds and one vegetative (FVF), but just about any combination is possible. I don't think a bud will turn into a vegetative bud once it's fully differentiated itself into a flower bud, but quite frankly I've never tested it (i.e. marked a bunch of flower buds and come back later to see if any turned vegetative). I agree spreading branches is the way to go if you have the time. It allows you more options on choosing scaffolds and you'll get a little larger tree a little earlier vs. relying solely on pruning to shape your new trees. I sense you may be concerned about pruning off too many flower buds. You needn't be worried about that on mature trees. Mature peach trees flower so profusely, you'll have plenty of flowers left over regardless of how you prune. Sometimes, flowers can be pretty sparse if it's the trees first crop. In that case you may want to watch what you prune. I've had second year trees produce heavily for their size (as many as 60 peaches) but more often than not they only produce a few peaches (or none).

Yay!! I'm so happy now. I think this is the only blueberry plant I have that will bear fruit this year. The others are too young. Well, I do have 3 from Finch Blueberry Farm that are supposed to be 3 years old but don't look it to me...a topic for another post coming soon :)

I just put my plants in ground about 10 days ago. I did not add anything but I added some dry cow manure which I got from a nearby farm. I am watering it and as I live in Phoenix, the temps reach to 120 F for some days. So I was considering a little shade with burlap cloth on stakes. Do u think it is a good idea? I have heard of 'Spray N Grow' do u have any idea about it. My plants r just 2-3 feet tall and have around 10 leaves on it. So I want to help it in increasing the leaf and leaf bud growth. Any suggestions would be of great help. Padma

Jan how large is your Hoya erythrina and is this it's first bloom? This has been a fairly slow plant for me but it does put out growth in spurts. I have been watching it closely for signs of a peduncle but I think I am going to be waiting a long time. I literally gasp when I saw your Hoya Mithilde it's absolutely fantastic! I am looking forward to seeing the plant in full bloom. I wonder if the unusually cool weather this winter was a help in developing so many blooms? Do you find this Hoya to be a heavy bloomer or has it only bloomed this well as it became a larger plant? Mike