Good day from the Stony Creek Vineyard
Summer has begun and the vines are growing. Shoots are becoming longer canes and the stages of development continue. Flower buds are growing and a few are beginning to open.
Grape blossoms are certainly unique though you won’t find them at your local florist. They are rather blasé, plain, and simple. Though there is beauty in their intricacy. You see, just as grapes grow on stemmed clusters; so to do their flowers. In fact, before grapevines bloom their compound flowers can actually be mistaken as a cluster of immature fruit. Small BB-sized, green, flower buds develop on rather large labyrinthine stems.
When the flower buds open up and bloom they lack colorful flower petals. Do you know the stunning flower petals that help other plants to draw in pollinators such as bees and butterflies? And though they still come from miles around, bees and pollinators aren’t considered necessary as grapes pollinate well with a light summer breeze. To achieve a full cluster of grapes each individual flower must be pollinated and each will become a single grape. Each grape of most wine grapes like those found here at Stony Creek will contain several seeds.
Until next time, cheers!
~Pj
