Orchard ideas please
 

I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall I
have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of native
tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set in the
woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a large variety
of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles thrive also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over to
you.
Duncan

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 21:05:56 -0000, "Duncan Heenan"
wrote:


Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over to
you.
I've never gardened in such a favoured spot so this is purely
speculative, would you get away with some of the hardier Citrus?

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

In article ,
Duncan Heenan wrote:
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).

Quince?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Duncan Heenan" wrote in message
...
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall
I have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of
native tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set
in the woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a large
variety of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles thrive
also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to you.
Duncan



Sounds like you've got most ... if not all of it covered by way of fruits.
How about some herbs ... like Rosemary ... a bay tree maybe ... corriander
.... to hopefully self seed .. maybe some plants to attract the pollinating
insects .. foxgloves amongst your woodland area etc ...

In article , Duncan Heenan
writes
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).

What do you mean by low maintenance? I grow tayberries, loganberries and
the like, and maintenance consists of a once-a-year chore of cutting out
all the canes that have fruit and tying in all the ones that haven't.

Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium),

More apples, but of less usual varieties. My current favourite is
Cornish Aromatic. Try somewhere like Scotts of Merriot for 100
varieties.

I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over to
you.

Medlar. Totally labour free, attractive large white flowers, and fruit
can be made into a mild jelly which is good as a jam and even better
served with lamb or turkey.

Quince - the proper tree (Cydonia) rather than 'japanese quince' or
Chaenomeles.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Duncan Heenan wrote:
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).

Quince?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Yes Quince and medlar came straight to mind (quince makes a good cross
pollinator for pears)
If you can provide some rain shelter Apricots are easy but you have to stop
the rain spreading peach leaf curl. without a wall peaches are tricky.
Gages are rather nice although you don't often see them these days and I am
very fond of something called a Kea Plum (looks a bit like a damson and
grows wild down here)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

"Kay" wrote
Duncan Heenan writes
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).

Medlar. Totally labour free, attractive large white flowers, and fruit
can be made into a mild jelly which is good as a jam and even better
served with lamb or turkey.

TOTAALY agree about the Medlar. The jelly is to die for :~))
Jenny

JennyC wrote:
"Kay" wrote
Duncan Heenan writes
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard
(non-commercial)
which I am developing, having just finished terracing it with
retaining walls. I would appreciate any suggestions on what to
plant. I am looking for something a little 'different', but low
maintenance (so no soft fruit).

Medlar. Totally labour free, attractive large white flowers, and
fruit can be made into a mild jelly which is good as a jam and
even
better served with lamb or turkey.

TOTAALY agree about the Medlar. The jelly is to die for :~))
Jenny

You're clearly betting on global warming (I assume your bit of the
IoW won't get submerged), judging from the olives, and hoping it
won't just make us wetter.

So try a couple of loquats (Eriobotrya japonica): delicious, and I
think they'll come true from seed -- I brought some home from
Andalusia once, but forgot to sow them. Azarole, a Cretan hawthorn
(Crataegus azarolus), has inch-wide edible berries for jam and jelly.

Even more daringly, what about:
Carob, the locust tree whose fruit the Baptist ate (Ceratonia
siliqua).
Varieties of Persimmon (Diospyros).
Jujube (Ziziphus).
Pomegranate.

I can't remember which pine produces the edible "nuts". I imagine
you've mentioned figs and chestnuts already.

Mike.

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:

You're clearly betting on global warming (I assume your bit of the
IoW won't get submerged), judging from the olives, and hoping it
won't just make us wetter.

Or reverse the North Atlantic Drift :-(

So try a couple of loquats (Eriobotrya japonica): delicious, and I
think they'll come true from seed -- I brought some home from
Andalusia once, but forgot to sow them. Azarole, a Cretan hawthorn
(Crataegus azarolus), has inch-wide edible berries for jam and jelly.

Both grow perfectly well in the UK, and the former grows easily from
fruits bought on the market. Some people get fruit.

Even more daringly, what about:
Carob, the locust tree whose fruit the Baptist ate (Ceratonia
siliqua).
Varieties of Persimmon (Diospyros).
Jujube (Ziziphus).
Pomegranate.

No chance, especially the last. Forget the temperatures, we don't
get enough sunlight in Pudding Island and never will :-(

Feijoa might be worth a go, though - even if it doesn't fruit, you
can eat the flowers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"p00kie" wrote in message
...

"Duncan Heenan" wrote in message
...
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall
I have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of
native tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set
in the woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a
large variety of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles
thrive also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle
of Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are
rare and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not
rich, and is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little
chance of improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to you.
Duncan



Sounds like you've got most ... if not all of it covered by way of fruits.
How about some herbs ... like Rosemary ... a bay tree maybe ... corriander
... to hopefully self seed .. maybe some plants to attract the pollinating
insects .. foxgloves amongst your woodland area etc ...

Thanks, but I've got all except coriander elsewhere. I might try some of
that.

"Rod" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 21:05:56 -0000, "Duncan Heenan"
wrote:


Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to
you.
I've never gardened in such a favoured spot so this is purely
speculative, would you get away with some of the hardier Citrus?

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

What did you have in mind? Lemon, Orange, Lime?

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Duncan Heenan
writes
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).

What do you mean by low maintenance? I grow tayberries, loganberries and
the like, and maintenance consists of a once-a-year chore of cutting out
all the canes that have fruit and tying in all the ones that haven't.

Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium),

More apples, but of less usual varieties. My current favourite is
Cornish Aromatic. Try somewhere like Scotts of Merriot for 100
varieties.

I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to
you.

Medlar. Totally labour free, attractive large white flowers, and fruit
can be made into a mild jelly which is good as a jam and even better
served with lamb or turkey.

Quince - the proper tree (Cydonia) rather than 'japanese quince' or
Chaenomeles.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"
Hmmm some things to think about there. Not keen on quince, but medlar
might be a goer. Thanks.

"Duncan Heenan" wrote in message
...
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall
I
have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of
native
tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set in the
woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a large
variety
of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles thrive also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to
you.

Plums are very low maintenance- so have lots more dessert plums and gages-so
gorgeous eaten from the tree. As mentioned by others- peaches. The rowan
variety Sorbus edulis for rowan jelly. Figs & kiwi fruit on walls. Myrtle.
Quinces- to be used as pomades as well as cooking. More pears as they each
have such a short season. Amelanchier for sweet little berries in June.
Big-berried elderberries (one variety of which originated on the IoW)

http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/
for some unusual ideas, expressed very enthusiastically.

--
Anton
http://www.btinternet.com/~treesandfruit/index.htm

Duncan Heenan wrote in message
...
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall
I
have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of
native
tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set in the
woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a large
variety
of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles thrive also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich, and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to
you.
Duncan


You could give bananas a try - it would be a real coup if you could pick
your own fruit. I'm tempted to say dates, but perhaps that's beyond Sth IOW
weather!

Someone else suggested Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). It's a
terrific-looking tree and it would definitely fruit for you there. I grow
one on heavy London clay and often have fruiting success - and they're so
delicious.

How about hops - you could make your own beer. Or sloes, indeed, if you're
a gin drinker.

I'm really, really envious of you. Hubby and I requently visit the Isle of
Wight and can entirely appreciate your climate. You may even get some
advice from the Ventnor Botanic Garden, esp. if you join their Friends'
Society.

Enjoy your orchard,
Spider

"Spider" wrote in message
...

Duncan Heenan wrote in message
...
I am about to start planting phase 2 of my orchard (non-commercial) which
I
am developing, having just finished terracing it with retaining walls. I
would appreciate any suggestions on what to plant. I am looking for
something a little 'different', but low maintenance (so no soft fruit).
Phase 1 has : Black Mulberry, Cherry, Pears (conference & Williams),
Apples( Cox Orange Pippin, Bramley, Granny Smith, George Cave, Deacons
Millennium), Plums (Victoria, Purple Pershore, Damson), Greengages
(Cambridge Gage, Laxton's superb), a peach & a nectarine. On another wall
I
have 7 grape vines.
My woods already have walnut, hazel & Kent cob in among a mixture of
native
tress dominated by sycamore, beech and oak. There is a badger set in the
woods (they regularly vandalise my lawn), red squirrels and a large
variety
of birds, including a number of resident woodpeckers. Moles thrive also.
Phase 2 is smaller, about 30metres by 7 metres, but a sun trap - very
sheltered with a south facing back wall. It is on the south of the Isle
of
Wight, about 1/2 mile from the sea with a mild climate and frosts are
rare
and moderate. The soil is reasonably moist but well drained, not rich,
and
is a mixture of clay and sandstone, and I shall have little chance of
improving it much.
I have already decided to have some apricot fans on the back wall, and a
couple of olive trees, but now I've run out of ideas. Ideas please! Over
to
you.
Duncan


You could give bananas a try - it would be a real coup if you could pick
your own fruit. I'm tempted to say dates, but perhaps that's beyond Sth
IOW
weather!

Someone else suggested Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). It's a
terrific-looking tree and it would definitely fruit for you there. I grow
one on heavy London clay and often have fruiting success - and they're so
delicious.

How about hops - you could make your own beer. Or sloes, indeed, if
you're
a gin drinker.

I'm really, really envious of you. Hubby and I requently visit the Isle of
Wight and can entirely appreciate your climate. You may even get some
advice from the Ventnor Botanic Garden, esp. if you join their Friends'
Society.

Enjoy your orchard,
Spider

Thanks. We're only about 3 miles from Ventnor Botanic Gardens, and have the
same micro climate.