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 ...
Lovely photo, Ivy berries? or perhaps a fatsia?
ReplyDeleteGaz Alternative Eden
Hi Gaz - thanks - they are similar aren't they? It's ivy :)
ReplyDeleteYes very similar, quite a few of the various relatives are also very similar too
DeleteThe plant looks quite cosy in a chilly sort of way :-)
ReplyDeleteEG - I think snow's meant to be quite a good insulator if memory serves me correctly. I'm hoping it's the case for my salads!
ReplyDeleteOh your ivy is toying with you peeking out like that.
ReplyDeleteI think snow is a good insultator its the damp in winter thats the problem so if we have lots of rain and low temperatures you are more likely to loose your salads
Now you see me, now you don't - snow adds a most exciting dimension to plants - looks like a creature that you might come across in 'Dr Who' :)
ReplyDeletePG - it certainly is ;) The salads are mostly under cloches and cold frames so they should be OK.
ReplyDeleteAnna - it certainly does. I'm also most taken with the snow 'hats' my Echinops seed heads are sporting at the moment :)
That's the peek all my plants are giving me these days.
ReplyDeleteCommonweeder - we're in the thaw now, so mine are coming out of hiding ;)
ReplyDeletePeekaboo to you - must catch up spoon. Hope all is well
ReplyDeleteTBS - it's exciting times - catching up sounds good :)
ReplyDelete