Two new additions to the family!

I planted two plum trees this afternoon in our front yard. I had hoped to put them in earlier (they arrived a week and a half ago), but I had a run-in with a test (derm/heme/card) this morning. As I finally put them in the ground, in the soil I had spent hours planning and preparing, and hours more in hand-wringing, I had some of that new-parent-type anxiety--had I done everything the way I should have? had I done enough? would the tree end up pregnant or a democrat? Then I saw that they were both leaning somewhat and that the holes weren't quite aligned. And then that the Westfield Seek-No-Further was perhaps a tad too close to the one on the right side of the walkway. Could it be that our dwarf plum trees are already in their awkward phase? Probably more an issue of poor parenting at this stage. But what can you expect?--this is Baltimore.

Sus and I tried the plums (Green Gage/Reine Claude) for the first time on her birthday in Brussels, so I ordered the trees (and two grapevines) as a late birthday present (lame to be late, but I had been in the DRC until that day)--I still kind of wonder whether it counts as a present for her. Truth be told, I had fallen in love with them just from the description (without ever having tasted one). I had been looking for some more fruit trees to plant, particularly ones that had unusually colored fruits (the thought was that birds and children and poorly behaved adults would be less likely to snatch them if they looked potentially poisonous--but I digress). They didn't disappoint. Here's a description:

GREEN GAGE was originally named Reine Claude by the French, then was renamed by the British around 1725. This is an ancient Armenian variety, still widely grown due to outstanding flavor. By any name, this is surely one of the world's great fruit varieties. This unique, European cultivar has been in high demand in local and roadside markets for its excellent quality and versatility. Not so long ago, the Green Gage plum was the best known and loved plum in Europe and America. It is now heading for extinction in this country, largely due to trueness-to-name problems that have made the real Green Gage hard to find. It has medium-sized, egg-shaped fruits with yellow-green skin and firm, greenish-yellow flesh and can be used in desserts and preserves or canned. But they’re so good, you might not be able to resist eating them right off the tree! Sweet and juicy, the fruit ripens early August in Zone 5. Hardy in Zones 5-9. The tree is productive and self-fertile but is susceptible to brown rot. Hardy to -30 degrees. Green Gage may be too fragile for commerce, but this fact -- and its superlative flavor -- make it an indispensable addition to any home orchard.

David Liebowitz's two cents