Hello,

I would like to buy an apricot tree. The book the "fruit expert"
mentions Moorpark and early moorpark. Are these the best varieties for
the UK?

I visited my local garden centre and they do not have these varieties.
Instead they have Tomcot, Goldcot, and Golden Glow (IIRC). Do you have
any experience of these?

I have a south facing garden in the midlands. The label of the goldcot
said it was a US variety, especially suited to the cold, wet UK
conditions. Is this so? if so, I might be tempted to try that, unless
anyone recommends different.

Thanks.

The message
from Fred contains these words:

Hello,

I would like to buy an apricot tree. The book the "fruit expert"
mentions Moorpark and early moorpark. Are these the best varieties for
the UK?

I visited my local garden centre and they do not have these varieties.
Instead they have Tomcot, Goldcot, and Golden Glow (IIRC). Do you have
any experience of these?

I have a south facing garden in the midlands. The label of the goldcot
said it was a US variety, especially suited to the cold, wet UK
conditions. Is this so? if so, I might be tempted to try that, unless
anyone recommends different.

I don't know anything about named varieties. I just planted half a dozen
stones from apricots bought in the greengrocer's, and several hunza
stones. Unfortunately, most of these died when I was away for a week
during a dry spell, just as they were sprouting.

The one surviving hunza has reached around eight feet, growing in a
large planter, and the ordinary ones are going nicely, and will be
trained into cordons and/or espaliers in a south-facing hedge.

I've just planted fifty more hunza stones...

Someone may be along to advise on varieties - meanwhile, have you
gargled for them?

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Fred" wrote
I would like to buy an apricot tree. The book the "fruit expert"
mentions Moorpark and early moorpark. Are these the best varieties for
the UK?

I visited my local garden centre and they do not have these varieties.
Instead they have Tomcot, Goldcot, and Golden Glow (IIRC). Do you have
any experience of these?

I have a south facing garden in the midlands. The label of the goldcot
said it was a US variety, especially suited to the cold, wet UK
conditions. Is this so? if so, I might be tempted to try that, unless
anyone recommends different.


We used to have an Apricot tree for very many year until it got struck by
lightning whilst we were on holiday. In all those years we only got two
fruit! (and we live near the Thames)
I hope you have a very protected and warm south facing spot for it and
choose one of the modern varieties that have been bred for the cold
conditions. (I think I've read somewhere they are mainly from Canada)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In article ,
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| We used to have an Apricot tree for very many year until it got struck by
| lightning whilst we were on holiday. In all those years we only got two
| fruit! (and we live near the Thames)
| I hope you have a very protected and warm south facing spot for it and
| choose one of the modern varieties that have been bred for the cold
| conditions. (I think I've read somewhere they are mainly from Canada)

That is somewhat misleading. Apricots don't mind cold, in its place.
Hunza apricots come from a place which gets a LOT colder than the UK.
What such plants don't like is the winter wet, late frosts and cold
summers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Rusty Hinge 2 writes:
|
| The one surviving hunza has reached around eight feet, growing in a
| large planter, and the ordinary ones are going nicely, and will be
| trained into cordons and/or espaliers in a south-facing hedge.

None of my Hunzas have germinated - perhaps they didn't regard last
winter as worth breaking dormancy for?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
here says...
Hello,

I would like to buy an apricot tree. The book the "fruit expert"
mentions Moorpark and early moorpark. Are these the best varieties for
the UK?

I visited my local garden centre and they do not have these varieties.
Instead they have Tomcot, Goldcot, and Golden Glow (IIRC). Do you have
any experience of these?

I have a south facing garden in the midlands. The label of the goldcot
said it was a US variety, especially suited to the cold, wet UK
conditions. Is this so? if so, I might be tempted to try that, unless
anyone recommends different.

Thanks.

What ever you buy unless you protect it from rain with a small roof it
will go down with "Peach Leaf Curl" (you can spray but I would not
then want to eat the fruit) and they really need wall protection for the
flowers which are early and get damaged by spring frosts. I have seen
reasonable crops on Moorpark but have never come across the others you
mentioned.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Nick Maclaren" wrote
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| We used to have an Apricot tree for very many year until it got struck
by
| lightning whilst we were on holiday. In all those years we only got two
| fruit! (and we live near the Thames)
| I hope you have a very protected and warm south facing spot for it and
| choose one of the modern varieties that have been bred for the cold
| conditions. (I think I've read somewhere they are mainly from Canada)

That is somewhat misleading. Apricots don't mind cold, in its place.
Hunza apricots come from a place which gets a LOT colder than the UK.
What such plants don't like is the winter wet, late frosts and cold
summers.


Yes, you are quite right, I should have specified that late frosts, just
when they are flowering, are the problem for most apricot growers in the UK.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Charlie Pridham" wrote

What ever you buy unless you protect it from rain with a small roof it
will go down with "Peach Leaf Curl" (you can spray but I would not
then want to eat the fruit) and they really need wall protection for the
flowers which are early and get damaged by spring frosts. I have seen
reasonable crops on Moorpark but have never come across the others you
mentioned.

Funnily Charlie, our old tree never got peach leaf curl despite a peach
tree in a neighbours garden suffering with it every year. Are there any
resistant trees?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

The message
from Jennifer Sparkes contains these words:
The message
from Rusty Hinge 2 contains these words:

snip

I don't know anything about named varieties. I just planted half a dozen
stones from apricots bought in the greengrocer's, and several hunza
stones. Unfortunately, most of these died when I was away for a week
during a dry spell, ...

A what spell ???

Not a week this year - shirley!

Three years ago - eight feet in a year would be asking a bit too much -
even my Actinidia chinesegooseberrensis hasn't managed that yet...

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
In article ,
Rusty Hinge 2 writes:
|
| The one surviving hunza has reached around eight feet, growing in a
| large planter, and the ordinary ones are going nicely, and will be
| trained into cordons and/or espaliers in a south-facing hedge.

None of my Hunzas have germinated - perhaps they didn't regard last
winter as worth breaking dormancy for?

This one is the survivor of a handful which did germinate, but was late.
I think all of them started, but my watering 'system' wasn't up to it.

I'm leaving this lot out over winter again, and hoping for lots of
saplings. Once started, they go up like rockets.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
In article ,
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| We used to have an Apricot tree for very many year until it got
struck by
| lightning whilst we were on holiday. In all those years we only got two
| fruit! (and we live near the Thames)
| I hope you have a very protected and warm south facing spot for it and
| choose one of the modern varieties that have been bred for the cold
| conditions. (I think I've read somewhere they are mainly from Canada)

That is somewhat misleading. Apricots don't mind cold, in its place.
Hunza apricots come from a place which gets a LOT colder than the UK.
What such plants don't like is the winter wet, late frosts and cold
summers.

Hunza apricots are very different from yer domestic one - the stem looks
more like apple than anything else, and is altogether chunkier than your
rather fragile pinkish domesticated variety, and the leaves of the hunza
are apple-like too, thick, leathery, and if anything, slightly larger
and a tad broader, whereas the common-or-greengrocer apricot has
altogether daintier leaves which are cuspidate - almost aristate.

The stones are half the size, too. Want some? I've still got half a bag
of uneaten hunzas.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

In message , Fred
writes
Hello,

I would like to buy an apricot tree. The book the "fruit expert"
mentions Moorpark and early moorpark. Are these the best varieties for
the UK?

I visited my local garden centre and they do not have these varieties.
Instead they have Tomcot, Goldcot, and Golden Glow (IIRC). Do you have
any experience of these?

You might like to check the publication date of "The Fruit Expert". I
have a vague recollection that Tomcot and Goldcot are new introductions.
(IIRC, there was an article in The Garden on apricot varieties.)

I have a south facing garden in the midlands. The label of the goldcot
said it was a US variety, especially suited to the cold, wet UK
conditions. Is this so? if so, I might be tempted to try that, unless
anyone recommends different.

Thanks.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 16/9/08 18:37, in article ,
"Jennifer Sparkes" wrote:

The message
from Rusty Hinge 2 contains these words:

snip

I don't know anything about named varieties. I just planted half a dozen
stones from apricots bought in the greengrocer's, and several hunza
stones. Unfortunately, most of these died when I was away for a week
during a dry spell, ...

A what spell ???

Not a week this year - shirley!

Jennifer - seriously thinking of a move to East Anglia ...

Oh, come now. We've had at least 3 days here without significant rainfall.
;-)
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

The message
from Jennifer Sparkes contains these words:

/prune/

Jennifer - seriously thinking of a move to East Anglia ...

You'd be very welcome. Bring your own boat.

reminder

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/temp/r--iver.jpg

/reminder

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

O.K., Rusty, you've convinced me, I'll try growing anything, as
you already know.
I've got a peach in the middle of the lawn, about 10ft tall, grown from stone, and it crops, but I DO spray with Murphy's copper fungicide.
From your past posts I suspect you are not too far from me, I'm
in the Dereham area, so please can you tell me where you got the hunzas from ?
Much appreciated.

Tim.