Laboured gestation

This poor little Okitsu Wabe - a variety of Satsuma - Mandarin was planted (engrounded to use a "Paltrowism") in the middle of June 2013. So that makes 9 months, to further labour the analogy! And, these are all that is left of the myriad fruit that it tried to set during the Spring. I had no idea it could take 5/6 months to mature fruit. However, the Eureka Lemon is following suit. These Mandarin, however, are not attractive to the eye. I find that fruit and vegies in a home garden are not a patch on the PERFECTION found in the large supermarkets. I will gradually convert some of the beds to flowers, where I am less critical, requiring that all they do is look pretty, not be formed perfectly!

The Kumquat, also pictured here, has two distince fruitings still on the tree, There are quite a few new fruit that look ready to progress to maturity. It is a pretty bush, what with the emerald and the bright orange. The fruit is a bit tart to eat, and I mainly bought the bush for its splash of colour in the walkways.