For Apple Day: Eat your way to the river
It's Apple Day, one of my favourite days of the year and what better way to celebrate than to tell you about my recent trip to Longney, where Gloucestershire Orchard Trust have 18 acres of apple orchard under their tender care. Here you'll find older orchards with some trees well over a century old, plus their newer plantings of around 94 Gloucestershire cultivars which have just acquired national plant collection status at Plant Heritage . The jury's out on the actual number as DNA testing has revealed at least one locally named variety is actually a more well known one: Ribston Pippin in this case. Don't worry, there are dozens there which definitely have their origins rooted firmly in Gloucestershire and their cultivation at Longney is vital to their continued presence and preservation. There were around 200 local varieties at one time and today it's around 100 still in existence. Steve Mason - the Trust's Curator - was our knowledgeable guide who invited ...
That is early. I think I have finally killed off ny Kerria-not on purpose-it's just been out competed.
ReplyDeleteMore colourful signs of Spring. I have this in my garden, it is a lovely shrub. I gave my Dad an offshoot, and he loves it too. x
ReplyDeleteJudith - that's quite a feat, it's usually the other way round!
ReplyDeleteLouise - glad you give stuff to your dad as well as the other way round. It's one of the real gardening pleasures isn't it?
A beautiful and cheerful shrub VP. My favourite photo of my niece and godchild is of her twirling under a kerria shrub with a garland of yellow flowers on her head. She is a cool 17 year old now and would not like to be reminded of the antics of her youth :)
ReplyDeleteAnna - ah but in a few years time it'll come round full circle and that'll be a photo she'll cherish!
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