Lesson number 2: “once you see the pest it is probably too late”
All posts in orchards
Orchard & vegetable growing
growing vegetables between the apple trees
Pruning fruit trees
Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society were treated to me talking about the winter pruning of apple trees! A short presentation about “knowing your buds” and “understanding what is a good strong shape” was followed by an interactive session pruning two apple trees that I took in. Pub staff were entertained by us ‘crazy gardeners’ carrying apple…
Planting the orchard – Shepton Mallet
I used to tell my students that even the most experienced gardener will not know everything, in our business there is always something new to learn. Our seasons are becoming increasingly unpredictable and right now the heavens seem to have forgotten that it is planting time and I didn’t check the weather forecast before collecting my 160…
Apple pruning – Gloucestershire
Formative pruning of apple trees – when apple trees are this young it is important to prune for strength, spacing of branches and formation of apple spurs.
Chelsea inspired garden – Gloucestershire
This is a lovely site attached to a large country house with a swimming pool and horse stables however the budget was quite tight given the scale of the project. At Chelsea this year I was inspired by the planting in one of the borders in Luciano Giubbilei’s Laurent Perrier garden: the rich burgundy reds, deep blues and…