Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Dustyevsky said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

I don't know what cat wee tree is Arb tbh. It's some breed of a thorn

I think it's a Hawthorn, Bluey. Blackthorn are already flowering and have simpler leaves. I saw some making a lovely display on Saturday, but it was pelting with rain and there was nowhere to pull-in and take a picture.   

I'm surprised your other tree is causing you confusion, 'cos it's dead common. Here's another clue: people are known to make wine and jelly preserve from the fruit, or flavour drinks with the flowers.

 Likewise, must be one recognised by older heads. Elder!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0787k9l

PS.love his naming method, if I grew one it would have to be Two Dogs in fond memory of the old joke.

Make ideal companion plant for Malus Aforethought

That's a fabulous clip, Farway. If only more GW pieces were of that quality.   120 varieties and counting! I have one less seen called 'Serenade,' though the nursery I bought it from mislabelled it as 'Serande.' That sounded French, so I sold it under that name, giving customers my best French accent!

The Beeb changed their picture a few minutes after I posted, substituting one they last used in January. Embarrassingly, it seems all their stock photos of heat pumps seem to feature butch-looking, able-bodied white males.

Malus 'Aforethought;' someone's got to do it! You heard it here first, though.

Never heard of Daffodil 'Professor Einstein,' but that slug has somehow defied gravity in its effort to 'pollinate.' Respect!

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

Hmmm contemplation needed. Don't know that I fancy an elderflower tbh, I'd sooner take my chances against the birds and slugs for cherries. Possibly. I reckon I'd give elderflower champagne a go though - I remember years ago watching a prog (think it was Huge Furry-Whippingtool off of that River Cottage series) where he made elderflower champagne in a waterbutt. IIRC it was about as much luck as judgment.  

Of course, if you have access to rural places picking elderflowers is where I got mine from, just try & avoid near roads [dust, fumes etc], cat wee ones & ones lower than a dog's hind leg

Maybe a spot of guerilla gardening? Any “waste” ground around where an elder twiglet could be inserted?

twopenny

I'd pick them from the wild then you can pick the sweet smelling ones, the white flowers.
Been there, made that mistake!
My friends used to make elderflower champagne and elderberry cordial before the days of the internet and then it was party time  . 
I still have the recipes if anyone wants them.

Great photo Farway! Proves a point.
I'd love one of those fancy trees Dusty. I have a penchant for purple leaves. Have my Prunus nigra, Weigelia and a Prunus nigra shrub along with the Heuchra. Pinks look lovely against that.

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

Hmmm contemplation needed. Don't know that I fancy an elderflower tbh, I'd sooner take my chances against the birds and slugs for cherries. Possibly. I reckon I'd give elderflower champagne a go though - I remember years ago watching a prog (think it was Huge Furry-Whippingtool off of that River Cottage series) where he made elderflower champagne in a waterbutt. IIRC it was about as much luck as judgment.  

IIRC, you have one tree that you know is an apple? and one tree that may well be an apple... so if you can wait until the second tree blooms to confirm if they're likely compatible pollination partners then you could either get another apple to pollinate/boost yield (I went for a Laura crab apple as wide pollinator with edible fruit), or you'd be looking at a self fertile something. 

If you're open to something unusual then I'll mention again my slight obsession with quince (which can be added to cooked apples/apple pie)... 

YoungBlueEyes

Well I’m relying on Tesco labelling for this, but I have an apple and a pear (presents from Lovely Neighbour when we moved in), my Ska which I’m waiting on flowering so I can put more pics up and yous can definitely say, then my 2 ‘cherries’. Only one of the ‘cherries’ is planted though, the other’s in a bucket thing. I’m thinking another apple would be good cos I love apples, and a pear would take too long to come to fruition. 

The fella in Farway’s vid has the elderflowers covered I think, and the world isn’t short of haw or may thorn so I reckon I’ll hoik it out no matter what it is (and let it take it’s chances elsewhere) and think of a replacement. 

And with that I’ll have killed all offers of fruit trees from T+M and everyone else in one go ha haa! 

YoungBlueEyes

Can I ask - if a person was looking for a fruit tree, where would you get it from? Is there a ranking system for discernible quality? 

Are all supermarkets and B+M and Home Bargains etc all much of a muchness, so it’s worth shelling out for T+M say? Or are T+M more for the special stuff and basics are all the same everywhere..? 

ArbitraryRandom

Others would know better, but I think where you buy is more about how confident you are that you're getting the rootstock/variety that you think you're getting and that the info on the site/label about size etc is accurate. 

I did my research on varieties and pollination partners here (and emailed them with my postcode to ask for their recommendations for the weather/soil type etc): https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/search.aspx then bought from a few different places (inc them and T&M) 

I went Grenadier (cooking), Greensleeves (desert), and Laura (crab)

twopenny

The ones I was sure I wanted, Bramley, Cox, Dunster plum and greengage I bought from a plant nursery.
If you buy bare root rather than potted they are half the price and get going quicker.

Just check that the bark hasn't been damaged and they have plenty of root.
My Tescos one has very little root when unwrapped so it's in the lap of the gods.

I find that the cox doesn't taste half as good as the apples from old old trees. If I could I'd change it for a russett of some sort. They probably wouldn't have been over bred being less popular so have better flavour from the get go.

-taff

I got a quince [ AR,also obssessed with them but mainly eating and smelling] and a medlar from orange pippin, one bare root, one in a pot. I'm very impressed with the quince it's a good size [ was also a good ulp! price too, about fifty quid] and I had to order them last year to get them this year.

I have some gardening to contribute today, planted out most of the propagated heucheras, done because it was getting vey leggy but also because it is such a lovely red red when it gets going, not a purple red or an orange red but a very soft red that pings...like this one

https://www.heucheraholics.co.uk/product/heuchera-forever-red

can't remember what it actually is though because I bought it about five years ago and it was in a pot for three. They were joined by some lovage, some lavender [ that might die], some stachys, something I can't remember, some aquilegia, a lone poppy, a couple of geums wot I can't remember which one is which [ there's a dwarf one in there somewhere] and some other stuff I can't remember now...I did dig up a thyme that's had it's day after eight years though, very miffed about that but it was almost completely wood and no leaves, so more thyme needed. I knocked off a bit of sage so planted all the bits off it to see if I can have a sage farm in the summer..

Still haven't down any seeds, maybe Wednesday....

Loving the photos by the way, hard to keep up with this thread, it's alomst as bad as the decluttering one....:)

And I went to see Adam Frost tonight, he's a good talker, very down to earth and funny with it...I did not buy any books...that may change...

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks folks I'll have a look and see if I'm anywhere near a nursery then. I'm not sure about a quince - we got a jar of quince preserve at that Christmas market in York and I didn't think it tasted of much. Knowing my luck the tree would go mental and what would I do with a load of tasteless quinces I'll have a good read of your link in a min Arb. 

Undamaged bark and plenty of root, thanks 2p. Will your Tesco one be alright do you think? I know what you mean about old apples - there's a cider museum in Hereford that had a huge old old tree out the front and I've have given you good money for a cutting of that. The apples were the best thing I'd tasted in a very long time. I can taste them now  

I like the subtitle of your heuchera website taff, least it's honest! I can't remember now who said about heucheras but when I lifted one when I spotted them and it's a beautiful burnt red colour. Sweet Tea it's called, and last year it produced diddy white flowers on stalks. Lovely  

Sun's up, quite pleasant here actually. 10' now and a high of 15' this aft. Washer's on then it's food shopping and tree sourcing. Tom planting is tomorrow, abso-deffo-lutely truly honestly. 

Edit - not to do Farway out of a job but Arb's orangepippin link above has a bare root sale on and this is the last week