Almond Blossoms

My little almond tree has its first tentative blossoms, one of the first signs of spring in my garden.

I love this little tree.  It is a soft shell almond which means that the almonds can be peeled easily by hand and there is no brown outer coating.  Even in its first summer the tree produced around fifty almonds.  I am looking forward to next summer's crop which will ripen in late December.

When I think about almond blossoms I think of Vincent van Gogh's 'almond blossoms' paintings.  Unlikely so much of his work, they are happy, optimistic paintings filled with the joy of early spring.

Vincent van Gogh, Almond Blossoms, 1890

Vincent van Gogh, Blossoming Almond Branch in a Glass with a Book, 1888