I Love October For...

Just a few of the apple varieties grafted onto the family apple tree at Waterperry Gardens.
Sally Nex has more to say about this tree here
... Apples

 Many of you won't be surprised by this revelation as I've written about apples so many times, particularly in October. This post won't be the last one, I can assure you :)

October is the month when I harvest most of my apples; from the trees in my garden and those shoehorned into my allotment plot. There are enough at the latter for it to be classified as an orchard, even though it's nothing like the one I'd really like to have.

So it was a pleasure last week to find myself in the kind of orchard I'd like to call my own - lots of trees, many varieties and plenty of room to show them off at their healthy best.

Waterperry is famed for its herbaceous borders and asters, so our visit was well timed. It was
good to discover it has plenty of other strings to its bow, particularly trained apples and pears

Waterperry Gardens has been on my 'to see list' for a very long time, so attending the study day organised by the Garden Media Guild last Tuesday meant I'd get to see it, have the opportunity to learn something and be in some very fine company too.

Most of the afternoon was scheduled for a pruning masterclass in the orchard amongst the trained cordon and espalier apple trees. I must confess a little less pruning was done than perhaps was originally envisaged by the Waterperry team. We were meant to help them out, but had far too many questions to ask instead. I did pick up some very useful tips though, plus enough material for a Breaking the Rules post for you later this month :)

Horticultural Manager Rob Jacobs demonstrates the pruning cuts required
to train an apple tree into a cordon or espalier

Part of the reason for us failing in our pruning endeavours was my need to discuss the apple trees seen along our motorways. You see, I've been contemplating them quite a bit this year during my frequent travels along the M5 and I'm sure there must be an amazing pool of new varieties along there. After all, most apples aren't self-fertile, so the ones I've seen waving at me could all be awaiting discovery for anyone daring (or foolish?) enough to explore along the verges.

Gerry Edwards soon confirmed my thinking and told me there's a newly launched variety (in 2010) called 'Christmas Pippin' which was sourced from close to the M5 motorway in Somerset. It's so good, it will probably be awarded an RHS AGM very soon.

However, he disagreed with my observation that an apple which can germinate and grow strongly along a motorway - against the odds - must have the potential to be a great variety. Apparently the pollution from all those cars and lorries zooming along can protect the trees from many diseases, just like the sulphur from factory pollution did for e.g. roses until the Clean Air Act came along. It means any variety sourced in this way needs many years of trials in clean air before it can be declared commercially viable.

Despite the odds stacked against them - seed viability, sufficient cold for germination, competition from other plants, disease protection via pollution etc etc - I wonder how long it'll be before 'Christmas Pippin' is joined by other new varieties sourced via our motorways or railways?

Don't forget it's Apple Day on 21st October, so there's bound to be several events nearby for you to choose from. Waterperry's own Apple Weekend this year is 11th to 13th October from 10am to 4pm. As well as assuring you there's a fine orchard to wander in, I can also vouch for the quality of the apples and single variety apple juice they have on offer :)

The stock beds at Waterperry, laid out as a 'living catalogue'. Now I'll have one of those,
...and that one,  ...oh I do like the look of that, and... Yes, I did bring a few plants home ;)

What do you love October for? Tell me in the comments below, or do join me in my new monthly meme on the 2nd of each month and post your response (in whatever way you fancy - writing, photos, poetry, artwork etc) on your blog...

Comments

  1. CJ2 October 2013 at 10:50

    I love apple trees too. I picked from my two small trees yesterday - Ribston Pippin and Egremont Russet. Also a couple of Coxes Orange Pippins. All utterly delicious - we had a little taste test after tea. I think I will be joining you in shoehorning a small orchard onto my allotment. I also have a dream of an orchard (with bees and chickens), but I think the allotment might have to do instead. I love the clocks going back in October, and the dark short days and early evenings, and Hallowe'en and that feeling of winter coming and also, it's my birthday! A lovely post VP, I look forward to hearing more about apples from you soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP8 October 2013 at 09:46

      Hi CJ - I share your orchard dream too :) Happy birthday - we're celebrating a family birthday this month too!

      Delete
  2. Anna B2 October 2013 at 11:25

    Ah my apples are nearly over over now, they're earlier ones - pink lady. I don't love days like today but am staying optimistic for the rest of October! I've just written a post about the changes in my garden over autumn, I love the way some plants come into their own and the way some just cling on. Asters are exceptional at this time of year. I went to Temple Newsam in Leeds last weekend to look at them but they weren't at their peak by any means! They have the national collection in Leeds, I'll have to post my photos but silly me forgot my camera - too busy battling with the dog! So I only have phone photos - not great! Waterperry looks great and the study day sounds cool! Really lovely photo of the border :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP8 October 2013 at 09:47

      Lots of plants clinging on here too Anna! The Cyclamen are just coming into their own though :)

      Delete
  3. Lea2 October 2013 at 13:16

    I love apples! What a great experience you had at Waterperry Gardens.
    The things I love most about October is the beautiful weather, and the leaves turning all glorious colors. And my birthday is in october, too.
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anna2 October 2013 at 19:51

    Sounds like a most useful and enjoyable day at Waterperry VP. As a matter of interest just how many apple trees constitute an orchard? I was at the allotment yesterday to harvest my 'Sunset' apples - just in the nick of time methinks. One or two had crash landed and the forecast for the next couple of days or so isn't too good. I love walking up our lane on October mornings and discovering shiny conkers on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP8 October 2013 at 09:48

      I tried to find out for sure Anna, but can't find the reference. If memory serves, the National Trust definition when they did their study a couple of years ago is 5.

      Delete
  5. Donna8 October 2013 at 00:12

    Apples, pumpkins and lots of colorful leaves...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP8 October 2013 at 09:49

      Yes, I'm looking forward to harvesting my pumpkins too Donna :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more