Prunus brigantina is the only species within the Prunus section Armeniaca (apricots) that is native to Europe rather than Asia (primarily China), but it is so distant in relation to the others that it was once thought to be closer to that of Prunus section Prunus (old world plums).

The "Alpine apricot" looks like a plum in pretty much every way, even though it does not belong to one of their sections, but it sounds like it tastes more like an apricot. It is difficult to be sure, though. There is very little information out there about this species, but I think it's promising that it has multiple names, including its most common one, that refers to it as an apricot in-spite of its appearance.

It's not the prettiest looking tree, that's for sure. I definitely prefer the aesthetic of the apricot. Most plums probably look nicer, too.

It would be nice if there was an apricot-like species that was both glabrous and fairly late blooming, and assuming that Prunus brigantina has the flavor to qualify it as one, it would possess at least one of these traits. It probably blooms later than the other apricots too, since there aren’t many deciduous fruit trees that bloom as early as them, but I doubt it’s late enough to be significant. Most old world stonefruit do not bloom late enough to produce reliably in most of North America, but one of those that often does is the sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). It is the primary exception, and I suspect that this has something to do with it being a tetraploid rather than a diploid, the latter of which is vastly more common. The European plum (Prunus domestica) is the only other one I know of that performs in a similar manner, and that one happens to be a hexaploid.

Blooming late isn’t necessarily a trait that comes with having a higher ploidy level. That just seems to be the case when it comes to this genus, much like how triploid apples and pears are generally more vigorous than their diploid counterpart, but I don’t want to imply that diploid stonefruit strictly bloom early. There are many of them that bloom late, but all of those that I am aware of come from the new world. It's a trait they must have acquired from being exposed to our largely unstable climate, since frost damage would have dramatically suppressed their ability to thrive.

There are glabrous apricots that exist, but the only variety circulating the US is Adirondack Gold. I don't know of anyone who has successfully fruited one and taken a picture of it, though. I have only seen images of its flowers, but they haven't amounted to anything yet. I tried to graft a few of them a while back too, but none of them took.

It's a real elusive fellow, but maybe we'll get something soon. There aren't many who are trying right now.

This is easily the largest cluster of Edelweiss grapes I have seen, and it's probably because I pruned the vine much heavier than what I usually do (like I am supposed to).

It's so much nicer this way, because for some reason, I love pruning, and it dramatically reduced the need to thin the flowers out. I probably didn't have to thin at all, but I am sure this is more or less true depending on the variety.

This is the most straightforward video I could find, and the only thing I would like to add right now is that European grapes are being pruned, so you might be better off making a few adjustments to what you see here.

For example, American-hybrids are generally more vigorous and procumbent in nature, so they are better adapted to training systems that place the buds 5 or 6 feet off the ground with spurs facing in a downward fashion (high wire cordon).

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Are there any Australian gardening groups on here that are fairly active?

I always hear the owls once the weather starts to cool.

Jupiter is currently my favorite American hybrid grape. The flavor is similar to some of those at the store, but it is fruitier and generally more astringent. Unfortunately, I have had some trouble with dieback in an area that frequently experiences zone 5a temperatures, but it has held up well enough to keep around. It's possible that the vine wasn't as tolerant of the cold as it could have been during a few of these years due to extensive leaf damage and partial exposure to shade, since Jupiter only experienced "some" dieback after being exposed to -26F during a trial in Indiana.

There is like 2 pounds or so worth of grapes on the Jupiter vine this year, but I haven't harvested them yet (I will soon). Somerset had at least double that amount in-spite of being quite young.

I don't have any disease issues with Jupiter in my northern climate, but it's certainly much different here than in Arkansas.

I constantly wonder how I ended up on Telegram, but then I look at the alternatives and remember why.

Some people think the government is hiding futuristic technology from the masses, but humans can't even build a properly functioning social media app.

Beautiful time-lapse of the Milky Way over a lightning storm with satellites and shooting stars.

Science and facts💡

People always have so much to say and I'm just like :|

Cold storage also improves the quality of European pears if they weren't harvested too late. Some varieties are fine right off the tree while others may benefit from being in there for over a month, but 1 to 2 weeks, followed by at least a few days on the counter, seems to be the most common recommendation.