We Love Our Jubilee and Apple Trees
Two ways to ensure a bumper apple crop:
1 You could go in for a spot of wassailing!
About this time of year, we could gather as a group in the village orchard to ‘bless’ the trees. We’d be toasting them, both by pouring some of the winter warming alcohol essential to such ceremonies around their roots, and also by hanging cider-infused toasted bread in the branches to welcome the good spirits. We’d banish the evil spirits by banging pots and pans and generally making a lot of noise. If that all sounds too much (even without the optional, but seemingly traditional Morris Dancing), you could similarly ‘bless’ your own trees in the privacy of your own garden.
2 Or you could learn how to improve your apple crop through better pruning and sign up for this year’s mature tree pruning demo and workshop on Friday 10 March 10.00-13.00.
Organised again by Re-Betchworth and led this year by Alessandra Valsecchi (until recently i/c the fruit collection at RHS Wisley, and now working with Albury Vineyard), the action will again be based in the village orchard off Goulburn Green (right). After a run-through of the theory behind apple tree pruning,
Ales will choose one of the orchard trees and demonstrate best practice. Working in small teams, attendees will then propose and action the work needed on the remaining trees.
The workshop ‘sold out’ quickly in 2022, so please register your interest now by emailing [email protected] To partly offset the tutor’s fee, we’ll be charging £10 a head for this year’s workshop.
Two ways to ensure a bumper apple crop:
1 You could go in for a spot of wassailing!
About this time of year, we could gather as a group in the village orchard to ‘bless’ the trees. We’d be toasting them, both by pouring some of the winter warming alcohol essential to such ceremonies around their roots, and also by hanging cider-infused toasted bread in the branches to welcome the good spirits. We’d banish the evil spirits by banging pots and pans and generally making a lot of noise. If that all sounds too much (even without the optional, but seemingly traditional Morris Dancing), you could similarly ‘bless’ your own trees in the privacy of your own garden.
2 Or you could learn how to improve your apple crop through better pruning and sign up for this year’s mature tree pruning demo and workshop on Friday 10 March 10.00-13.00.
Organised again by Re-Betchworth and led this year by Alessandra Valsecchi (until recently i/c the fruit collection at RHS Wisley, and now working with Albury Vineyard), the action will again be based in the village orchard off Goulburn Green (right). After a run-through of the theory behind apple tree pruning,
Ales will choose one of the orchard trees and demonstrate best practice. Working in small teams, attendees will then propose and action the work needed on the remaining trees.
The workshop ‘sold out’ quickly in 2022, so please register your interest now by emailing [email protected] To partly offset the tutor’s fee, we’ll be charging £10 a head for this year’s workshop.
Progress on the 70 Jubilee Trees
Knight’s Garden Centre report that just over half of the Jubilee Tree Vouchers have now been redeemed, with Acers and Apple Trees leading the popularity stakes. Our thanks to those who have fulfilled their pledge and sent a photo and description for Norman at [email protected] to upload onto our tree map. We may ask again in the summer, as few look very interesting when bare-leaved. Don’t delay long if you are still sitting on your voucher and undecided about your tree choice – the planting season will end before you know it, and the later you leave it, the more TLC your tree will need in the coming summer.
Some of the trees that have been planted
Knight’s Garden Centre report that just over half of the Jubilee Tree Vouchers have now been redeemed, with Acers and Apple Trees leading the popularity stakes. Our thanks to those who have fulfilled their pledge and sent a photo and description for Norman at [email protected] to upload onto our tree map. We may ask again in the summer, as few look very interesting when bare-leaved. Don’t delay long if you are still sitting on your voucher and undecided about your tree choice – the planting season will end before you know it, and the later you leave it, the more TLC your tree will need in the coming summer.
Some of the trees that have been planted