Why are my ‘John Downie’ crab apples flowering again now?
Lucinda Young, Norwich, Norfolk
Stefan says: You tell me your two trees flowered well in the spring, as usual. They then suffered in the summer drought and dropped all their leaves and it looked as if it might be terminal. However, after watering them, and having had some welcome rain, they’ve recovered and are now flowering once more. You wonder if the repeat blossoming is a result of the stress they suffered and if they will flower again next spring.
The answer is yes on both counts. I suspect the trees were reacting to what you thought was terminal stress and in these circumstances, plants do what is natural; they flower and produce seed and fruit in order for the species to survive. But having recovered, I think their natural rhythm will return by next spring.