It's the week of trained fruit trees....
Its all about pomology this week! If you long have wondered about the difference between cordons and double cordons, double Us, fans, espaliers and the like, read on .....
There have been a few sunny days this week and I took advantage of the fine weather to pop up to the Newt, just 10 mins in the car, to have one of my favourite winter walks.
I particularly like wandering around the walled garden to look at the trained fruit trees. At this time of year you can see the skeleton of the trees and learn how the team of expert ‘pruners’ have achieved the various looks. So this week I have gone overboard on the photos and videos to give you a really good look at the trees.
Up first, is a panoramic of the Parabola – the walled garden that houses the apple tree collection.
A bit of background if you have not visited the Newt before. Known as Hadspan House, it was once home to the wonderful garden designer Penelope Hobhouse. The egg-shaped walled garden known as the Parabola was designed and built in the 18th Century by Henry Hobhouse II. Built on a slope, the terraces of the Parabola are now filled with apple trees, arranged by county. Planting started in 2017 and now there are just short of 700 trees in the garden, representing 330 dessert cultivars, mostly English but some from France.
If you are into pomology, this is the garden for you. It is quite frankly the best display of trained trees I have ever seen, and credit must go to the imaginative mind of French architect Patrice Taravella, whose home is the well known Prieure D’Orsan near Bourges in central France. The collection is maintained by specialist fruit grower, Andy Lewis.
The training of the trees is simply brilliant and mind blowing at times. Most of the trees were supplied by the tree nursery, Frank Matthews, and they were grafted onto MM106 rootstocks, so they have reasonable vigor, but don’t overwhelm. Pruning takes place 4 times a year to ensure that the right shapes are achieved.
You can learn so much by simply looking at this time of year, so I hope you find the following photos and explanations useful.
Single U – trees with two straight stems running parallel up the wall
Double U – four straight stems running up the wall. Often these stems cross over each other to create a criss-cross pattern that is so clever.
Spirals – there are two types of spiral, so see if you can spot them in the photos below. It is far more difficult to create a single spiral that it is to plant four maidens and train them into a spiral
.
Fans - there are fans on the outside walls of the Parabola, using both apple trees and also soft fruits. Last year I bought some fan trained blackcurrants and gooseberries from Pennard Plants (see below) that I have planted against one of my wall.
Crown - there are a couple of great examples of crowns, where the main stems have been trained outward and then up to create a hollow goblet or crown
Step-overs These are one-tier espaliers that create low barriers around beds
Cordons – there are plenty of cordons around the garden, not all on walls, but often on supporting frames to create dividers, some tall, others shorter. The one below is an oblique cordon as the trees are grown vertically first and then trained at an angle, rather than planting in the ground at an angle.
V-shaped cordons – I particularly like these – there is one example with three trees, each tree with two stems at right angles, criss-crossed to create a lattice pattern with neighbouring stems. Its often called a Belgian fence. Doesn’t this create the most perfect divider for a small garden? Its been achieve quite quickly as the tree were only planted in 2017 and its been looking good for the last few years. Notice how the stems are supported by a frame work of strips of plywood and the treatment of the stems at the end. You can watch this video to see how to create a V-cordon here
Circles - below is a treatment of a vigorous shoot - its been twisted into a circle to encourage fruiting spurs.
Another neat idea is the training of a ‘goblet’ shape at the end of the main shoot – rather than prune off the lateral shoots, you can train them to create a sort of ‘crowning glory’.
Stone weight – I spotted this idea some years ago now and use it in my own garden. The suspended stone is used as a weight to pull down a stem
So that’s my highlights of the parabola – next week, I‘lI turn my attention to the kitchen garden where I found plenty of ideas to share with you.
The Newt is near Castle Cary in Somerset and is so worth a visit. You can get in for free with an RHS card on Tuesdays. Otherwise, you have to buy membership, which come in at £75 each (with direct debit, more with credit card). Yes, that seems expensive but you have to remember that it lasts a year and gives you free entrance to Kew Gardens, Wakehurst, Great Dixter, Tresco, Trebah, Tregothnan, Tremenheere, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Eden Projects, Blenheim, Chatsworth, Eden Project, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park – so if you are planning on visiting any of these gardens, I think it is good value.
If you fancy some buying some trained fruits trees like a U or Double U, espalier, stepover, or even a spiral, I suggest you visit Pennard Plants online or go to one of their open days. They are located near Shepton Mallet. They grow their own trained trees, as well as buy in stock from Frank Matthews. Other suppliers include Blackmoor Nursery in Hampshire where I spied a Double U for £95, which is a great price. Also Keepers Nursery in Kent. I am sure there are others, so please add suggestions in the comments.
And here are a few espalier ideas …..
And dates for your diary ….
If you live in near Shepton Mallet, I am giving a talk on Climate Change Gardening at Wanstrow Village Hall on Friday 9 February There is a small entrance fee. The proceeds of the evening will be used by the parish council to buy new playground equipment.
My next course on growing veg is at Empire Farm in Somerset on Sunday 24 March.
Publication looming
Publication date is fast approaching for Kim’s new book - The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden - it will publish at the end of February - more news to follow. You can pre-order on Amazon!
Kim is off to Seattle soon to speak at the North West Pacific Flower Festival in a couple of weeks. We were supposed to go together last year, but Kim fell ill at the last minute so only I made it to Seattle which was a fab trip. I’m hoping Kim will take a few videos to share in this newsletter so you can see how the Americans celebrate the garden.
Happy gardening
Sally