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For whatever reason, fruit trees are really ascetically pleasing. I suspect because humans have been selectively breeding them for so long. Interesting bark, fl

For whatever reason, fruit trees are really ascetically pleasing. I suspect because humans have been selectively breeding them for so long. Interesting bark, flowers, leaves, and colourful tasty fruit. I think they are remarkable achievements of human innovation. Cherry blossom trees no longer produce edible size cherries just flowers. But I noticed how much longer cherry blossoms last on the West coast, which I believe is due to longer cooler summers.

yongjik 6y ago
I once read an excerpt of a Portuguese priest's report about his travel to Japan in Edo period - there was a remark about how exquisitely beautiful Japanese gardens are, and how much the Japanese care about them. Then he says no garden had any fruit trees, because the Japanese considered such trees utterly unworthy of their attention. Like European lawns, apparently these gardens had to flaunt total lack of practical benefit, like peacocks' feathers.
- jolmg 6y ago
  > considered such trees utterly unworthy of their attention. That doesn't read like wanting to flaunt lack of practical benefit. Might it not be more about fruit trees and non-fruit trees requiring different forms of attention? Like having to clean up after possibly-sticky, rotting fruit, etc. You can't rake fruit like you would with leaves. If anything, non-fruit trees seem more practical.
  - yongjik 6y ago
    I'm paraphrasing from memory, but the priest made it clear that the Japanese considered fruit trees unworthy of their garden, not just "requiring different maintenance." (Well, of course, I don't know how fluent the priest's Japanese was, so there might be a game of telephone occurring here ...)
    - ekianjo 6y ago
      Fruit trees would also attract all sorts of animals and you probably don't want that if you manage a garden.
soperj 6y ago
Yes they do, they're sour cherries though so no one eats them. They litter the sidewalks where I live in the pacific north west, and the wasps are all over them come fall.
- etiam 6y ago
  > the wasps are all over them come fall. Makes me wonder if that'd be the case with Japanese hornets as well. I might be inclined to think twice about fruit trees for less.

yongjik 6y ago

I once read an excerpt of a Portuguese priest's report about his travel to Japan in Edo period - there was a remark about how exquisitely beautiful Japanese gardens are, and how much the Japanese care about them. Then he says no garden had any fruit trees, because the Japanese considered such trees utterly unworthy of their attention. Like European lawns, apparently these gardens had to flaunt total lack of practical benefit, like peacocks' feathers.

jolmg 6y ago
> considered such trees utterly unworthy of their attention. That doesn't read like wanting to flaunt lack of practical benefit. Might it not be more about fruit trees and non-fruit trees requiring different forms of attention? Like having to clean up after possibly-sticky, rotting fruit, etc. You can't rake fruit like you would with leaves. If anything, non-fruit trees seem more practical.
- yongjik 6y ago
  I'm paraphrasing from memory, but the priest made it clear that the Japanese considered fruit trees unworthy of their garden, not just "requiring different maintenance." (Well, of course, I don't know how fluent the priest's Japanese was, so there might be a game of telephone occurring here ...)
  - ekianjo 6y ago
    Fruit trees would also attract all sorts of animals and you probably don't want that if you manage a garden.

soperj 6y ago

Yes they do, they're sour cherries though so no one eats them. They litter the sidewalks where I live in the pacific north west, and the wasps are all over them come fall.

etiam 6y ago
> the wasps are all over them come fall. Makes me wonder if that'd be the case with Japanese hornets as well. I might be inclined to think twice about fruit trees for less.