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Apple Blossom Days
"I am the ancient Apple Queen,
As once I was so am I now.
For evermore a hope unseen,
Betwixt the blossom and the bough.
Ah, where's the river's hidden Gold!
And where the windy grave of Troy?
Yet come I as I came of old,
From out the heart of summer's joy."
~ Pomona, Poems by the Way, William Morris, 1896
Apple blossom buds are among spring’s most enchanting heralds, unfurling in soft shades of white, pink, and blush-red, and releasing a fragrance that calls to mind wild rose, jasmine, water lily, and honey. The apple tree holds a special place in Celtic tradition, where it is one of the sacred trees of the Ogham alphabet—its name, Quert, symbolizing the letter ‘Q’.
Traces of native crab apples have been discovered in Bronze Age burial sites, hinting at their long-standing significance. Later, the Romans carried cultivated apple varieties across Europe, where they intermingled with local species to become the beloved apples gracing medieval kitchens and apothecaries.
Scotland is home to several unique and storied apple varieties, each shaped by the country’s climate and culture. The White Melrose, believed to have originated near Melrose Abbey in the 1830s, is a soft, sweet dessert apple with a delicate blush. Tower of Glamis, named after the historic castle in Angus, offers a tart bite that mellows with storage—ideal for both cooking and cider. Perhaps the most legendary is the vividly red Bloody Ploughman, with its crimson skin and red-flecked flesh, said to have grown from apples found in the pocket of a poacher shot near Perth. The Scotch Bridget, long cultivated in the Clyde Valley, is a hardy, dual-purpose apple known for its balanced flavor and reliable yields. Tam Montgomery, a small, crisp variety from Ayrshire, was a favorite in cottage gardens, while the late-ripening Clydeside apple, also from the Clyde Valley, was prized for its rich flavor and storage potential. These heritage apples, now championed by Scottish orchard revivalists, offer a delicious link to the country’s horticultural past.
In the language of Victorian flowers, apple blossoms signify peace, fertility, sensuality, hope, and the promise of good fortune. 💗 💙 🖤 💚 🍎 🍎 🍎 🌸 🌸 🌸
One of the harbingers of spring, the budding and blooming of apple blossoms makes for a delicate sign of warmer days to come.
In Celtic folkloric traditions, the other world of Avalon was also known as the Avallach, the Isle of Apples, ruled by Fairy Queen, Morgan le Fay. Avalon was believed to be the land of both the fairies and the dead, and was where King Arthur was taken after being wounded in a major battle to be healed by his sister, Morgan.
The Celts attributed the power of healing, youth, and rebirth, to apples, and designated apples as one of the magical trees which form part of the Celtic Ogham tree alphabet, its Ogham name being Quert.
This tartan, by Carol A.L. Martin, was designed "in keeping with my thoughts of spring ... I started thinking of apple blossoms."