The Rivers’ Early Plum – Delicious eating plum, ready at the end of July 2018
Just before picking
First crop from this little tree
Rivers’ Early Plum
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Tag Archives: orchard
Rosette Apple
The Rosette Apple – A beautiful early season apple
Rosette is a bright red early season apple, with an amazing rosette-like pattern of marbled pink or red flesh that is revealed when you cut the apple open!
The flesh does not brown (oxidise) that quickly either so it can be used to add an interesting colour to savoury or fruit salads. It was a good choice of apple tree and although only in its third year has a good crop in 2018.
Beech Hedge – last week in April 2017
Beech Hedge – last week in April 2017
One hundred and fifty bare root Beech trees
We chose a Beech hedge as it should grow up quickly around the veggie plot and give protection from the wind. It’s a good screening plant and thickens up well. We put in 3 plants per metre and used the slit planting method. This was suitable as the plants weren’t too big (60 – 80cm). With this method you lay down some weed control matting. Then make a slit in the fabric. Using a spade you make a slit the width of the blade, coat the dampened roots of the plant with Mycorrhizal Fungi and using a side to side swishing motion slot the roots of the plant into the opening. Fill up the slit with extra soil if necessary and firm in, to the level that the plant was originally growing. Water well and ensure they do not dry out in the first year. Our plants were bought from Ashridge Nurseries where we bought the fruit trees from for the orchard
Black plastic matting down to force grass to die down and allow Beech bare roots to grow without competition from nearby grass roots
pegging out the matting
Preparing for a Beech Hedge around the veggie plot. A trial to add protection from the wind and eventually animals
Slit planting the bare root young beech trees
View of veggie plot
Beech hedge completed 26.4.17
Beech hedge completed 26.4.17 – view of top side
Day 143 – Saturday 28th January 2017 – phase 2
Day 143 – Saturday 28th January 2017 – phase 2
Split levels – ground floor and new upstairs visible together
picure-showing-opening-for-the-staircase-the-floor-below-and-the-upstairs-area-expanding
new-upstairs-area-around-where-the-top-of-the-staircase-will-be
this-is-the-old-balcony-window-still-intact-at-present-with-gap-to-hall-below-just-in-front-through-the-window-the-small-steel-can-be-seen-straddling-the-porch-to-form-the-new-front-of-the-house
photo-through-gap-in-the-new-flooring-showing-the-inner-porch-door-below
steel-beam-number-1-showing-it-on-the-inside-of-house-from-upstairs-area
view-from-the-orchard-field-down-over-the-the-house-where-the-canopy-can-be-seen-over-the-top
view-of-back-of-house-new-kitchen-and-canopy-visible-over-the-top-of-main-house-pic-2
view-of-back-of-house-new-kitchen-and-canopy-visible-over-the-top-of-main-house
view-of-back-of-house-and-new-kitchen
Moving an Apple Tree
This is what we found when we googled ‘Moving a Tree’
‘Established trees and shrubs should be only moved if necessary as even with the best care the tree or shrub may fail to thrive or even die.’
Our daughter planted a Cox’s Pippin Apple seed when she was 7 years old in Scotland. It germinated and at first it grew in the house. Then because we thought it wouldn’t survive we planted it out of the way, behind the greenhouse. Here it grew well, and its size meant another move.
Apple Tree can be seen against the fence
Hannah dressed for her Prom 2007, age 17
From here it was moved to a sunny spot, beside the garden shed, where it stayed until last year, winter 2015.
Scotland 2007
Closer view of the tree against the fence
Hannah nearly 18
Tree age 11
By this time, our daughter was nearly 26, so the tree was nearly 19 years old. Only once did it bear a little fruit, the only year we used a paintbrush to try and pollinate the flowers manually. In other years blossom came and went but never formed any fruit.
However we didn’t want to leave it behind when we moved down to Wales last year, so a special trip was arranged.
The tree was pruned hard and dug up very carefully during the winter. As many roots as possible were recovered intact from the ground together with some soil. Surprisingly the tree came out quite easily. Then the roots were wrapped tightly in plastic bags to hold in moisture and it was loaded into a trailer for its long journey south.
Moving a Tree to a new home from Scotland
March 2015
Apple Tree arriving in Wales
New hole dug for planting (March 2015)
Plenty of fertilizer was applied and the tree’s roots were slightly trimmed. At the time of planting, a professional gardener under the name of James Hyde, James Hyde Gardening was planting the orchard for us, and he very kindly planted it for us, staking it very well, and securing it into the ground firmly.
Soil removed from hole
Apple tree secured firmly with 2 stakes
Apple Tree in new position
Wales 2015
So we watered the tree very well and although we weren’t too confident that it would survive the transplant, this is how it looked in April 2015 and June 2015
Apple Tree one month later in April 2015
Apple Tree in leaf in June 2015
Wales 2015
It is a great result to see the little tree now growing in its new home!
We are waiting with anticipation to see how it fares in 2016!
springdalegarden 