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FLIMBY: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

The Central Valley has moved into the fluffy-tree period

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED MAR 3, 2026

The miniature peach variety called Honey Babe sports bright pink blooms for a couple of weeks. Kathy Morrison

This is another installment in our Flowers in My Back Yard series, devoted to everything that blooms.

Is there anything prettier this time of year than a fruit tree in full bloom?

The orchards of almond trees in the Capay and San Joaquin valleys kick off the show in February, soon followed throughout the Central Valley by apricots, plums and other stone fruit, the navel orange trees, apples, pears and cherries. Warm weather can speed things up, but spring rains, freezes or winds can play havoc with a tree's crop, knocking off or destroying blossoms before pollination.

Whether the blooming trees are in roadside orchards or in a home garden, they are a joyful site.

This series is focused on flowers, not about growing fruit, but it's good to know some things about fruit tree blossoms:

-- Flowers on deciduous fruit trees start forming as buds the previous late spring and summer. Whatever was going on with a tree last June and July can affect the size and vigor of the bloom. The summer of 2025 was a moderate one, so trees in the Sacramento area likely weren't as stressed as in 2024, which had a three-week extreme heat wave. Adequate water and fertilizer also are part of this summer-before scenario.

-- If the tree had a heavy fruit set the year before, it could be producing fewer blossoms this year, as a way to recover. Orange trees are famous for this alternate bearing cycle, but it also shows up in other fruit trees.

-- Young blooming branches can be harvested for floral arrangements, in concert with pruning/shaping the tree. Fruit trees usually produce many more blossoms than needed for fruit, so losing a few on a mature tree shouldn't cut into the eventual crop. Watch the timing, however, since the flowers typically are fully open for less than two weeks. Treat the pruned branches like any other flower by removing any foliage that will be below the water line in the vase. (For more information on training and pruning a deciduous fruit tree, open this link on the Sacramento County master gardeners' website and scroll down to publication "ANR 8057" under External Resources.)

-- Encourage pollinators by growing other flowering plants (especially California natives) near the fruit trees. Some types of fruit trees are self-pollinating, but even these can benefit from having bees and other insects visiting their flowers and moving pollen around. (The UC Davis Arboretum compiled this excellent list of 10 plants that support native bees.)

-- If you have fruit trees in your back yard, take plenty of flower photos! The blossom period is fleeting and that fluffy beauty will be gone before you know it.

Note to fruit tree fans: The new second edition of "The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees" is now available through the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources online catalog. It's an expanded and revised version of a reference every California master gardener learns to use.

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Keywords:

Flowers in My Back Yard FLIMBY flowers blooms pollinators bees orchards fruit trees stone fruit citrus almonds pruning winter March Sacramento gardening

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Garden checklist for week of April 12

After these storms pass, get to work on spring clean-up.

* Weed, weed, weed! Take advantage of soft soil and pull them before they go to seed.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant heat-resistant lettuce seedlings.

* Feed roses and other spring-blooming shrubs.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds. Avoid "volcano mulching" -- be sure to keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks or the stems of shrubs. This prevents rot and disease.

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