An Englishman's Garden Adventures
One of my apples (a triple cordon ‘Fiesta’) has suffered for a few years with infestations of Mussel Scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi). You can see them attached to the surface of the fruit in the photo above. These sapsuckers do little damage to the …
Read moreDealing with Mussel Scale infestations on an apple tree
A traditional starting point for training climbers on walls and fences is a system of tensioned horizontal wires. Ideally these wires should provide a permanent structure that needs little maintenance over the years, whilst creating a firm fixing for tendrils, shoots, branches …
Read moreHow to create quality wire supports for walls and fences
In my garden I have tried to include fruit varieties that extend the season as widely as possible. This is the first year that I have been able to pick apples in December extending my record to seven months of fresh fruit …
I’ve just updated the following posts. Just over a year after initial planting, these fans were ready for their summer pruning and training session. You might want to take a look… Fan Trained Pear (click then scroll down to read the …
Edwardian Gardening GeniusThe walled gardens at West Dean contain some of the finest examples of fruit training in the British Isles. Free-standing trained forms – pears in spectacular open drum and cone formations Wall-trained forms – pears, apples and gooseberry in …
Unfortunately, I had to remove the fan trained plum that grew in this spot for the last five years. Although it was magnificent and had an excellent form, it suckered violently. One shoot came up through the fence panel, forcing …
A six year old step-over Beauty of Bath apple trained along a narrow bed under a window at the front of my house – just coming into flower in late April. The basic form is just two horizontal branches trained outwards, …
Fan-trained pear ‘Concorde’ (July 2018) If you purchase trained fruit at a garden centre they often come attached to an impressive bamboo frame (like the one below). The frame can be a real distraction because what you are actually getting – and what …
