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 ...
If Bob Flowerdew is going to be there I'd surely ask something about weeing on plants! :)
ReplyDeleteTee hee - I think that's been asked before :) I do have a particular question in mind amongst loads of them floating around in my head. We'll see if I get to ask it...
DeleteBob Flowerdew liked the conversation we were having on Twitter about asking the panel what cake they would choose at an NGS open garden!
DeleteA friend asked me today what shrubs to plant in the shade.
ReplyDeleteI told her Azaleas, Beautyberry, and Sweet Shrub.
Do you have them where you live?
I guess my question would be 'What else grows well in the shade?'
Hi Lea - I'm on alkaline soil, so Azaleas and Beauty Berry (Callicarpa) need to be grown in pots, if at all (which I have done in the past). I hadn't come across sweet shrub (Calycanthus) before. It looks a good candidate for my front side garden :)
DeleteI would like to know when to harvest my Conference pears - all seven of them. I had nine fruits last year but they did a disappearing act when we were on holiday. I would be happy just to be able to taste one of them :)
ReplyDeleteI grow 'Concorde' which has 'Conference' in its parentage Anna. October time is usually good for my pears, but of course it could be different for you as your further north and it's a different variety!
DeleteDid you get to ask your question? And when will be it broadcast??
ReplyDeleteI did Black and Tabby, thanks for asking :) I submitted 3 questions and they selected the 3rd one which popped into my head on the way to the recording. Friday September 30th is the first broadcast with a repeat on the Sunday. There's another blog post to come shortly...
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