Leicestershire Heritage Apple Project
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Heritage Orchard helpers needed
We are trying to set up an orchard concentrating on apples unique to the Leicestershire area. Many of these are single trees and in danger of becoming extinct. We need help clearing and fencing an area to plant young trees we graft. Also we need help grafting these rare types, to be guarded elsewhere. Grafting can be taught. Tree guardians also needed, either for trees in the ground or in large pots.What is a tree guardian ?
A tree guardian is a person or organisation that has agreed to home a Leicestershire or rare apple cultivar. They are gifted the tree in return to making the scion and budding wood available to others, in order that the tree can be reproduced and the cultivar preserved.Tree guardians must ensure the tree has a permanent label (such as a laser engraved one) attached to it, this can be tied on at first but once the tree is large enough should be nailed on with the correct fittings.
Tree may be supplied as grown on their own roots (longest living), on vigorous rootstock, or on very dwarfing rootstock (where space is very limited or the tree needs to be in a pot, downside is a shorter lifespan) depending on the guardians circumstances.
Tree guardians need do nothing more than look after their charges, but they are very welcome to be more involved in grafting or the other areas of the project.
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Eventually there will be plenty of fruit to go round, but it's likely to take a while.
We are interested in hearing from anyone with an orchard containing unknown or rare apples.
We also want to learn about own-root trees, which have some advantages over grafted trees, and about preserving graft wood at awkward times of year (e.g. late summer or autumn). If you have experience in either area, we would like to hear from you.
Mel Wilson & Nigel Deacon.
An overview of Leicestershire apples / Producing new apple trees
LEICESTERSHIRE HERITAGE APPLE COLLECTION
There are about 50 apples in the collection so far.
They have an astonishing variety.
Most of them are not in the National Fruit Collection.
LEICESTERSHIRE HERITAGE APPLES
Annie Elizabeth*..
Barnack Beauty..?
Barnack Orange..*
Belvoir Seedling..*
Cross's Pippin ?
Dumelow's Seedling*..
Foxton's Pride
Foxton's Delight
Foxton's Red Margaret
Martin's Custard*..
Langton's Nonsuch (*)..
Leicester-Burton Pippin (*) (a.k.a. French Codlin)
Lord Burleigh *
Marriage Maker *
Prince Charles ?
Queen Caroline *
St. Ailred *
St. Cecilia ?
Sweetings (*)
(*) indicates scion wood promised, * indicates we have the variety or know where to get it, ? = tree not yet found
Identification of the Foxton varieties is proving to be difficult.
LEICESTERSHIRE HERITAGE UNIQUE SEEDLINGS
(descriptions and pictures to be added shortly:)
Bumble Bee Lane apple..
Croft Late..
Croft Pippin..
Croft Sharp.. - cider
High Cross Apple.. - late eater; very good for drying
Sam Bell's Special - very early cooker
Seagrave Apple.. - late eater
Whitwick Pippin (aka Berkin Beauty)..
Wibtoft Pippin..
Wyggeston Pippin..
and, from outside Leicestershire.........
Barnack Orange - Stamford variety
Blackjack.. - old Norfolk variety
Metton Roy.. - old Norfolk variety
Burford Red.. - found in Oxfordshire: unique seedling
Burford Sour.. - found in Oxfordshire; unique seedling
Burford Yellow.. - found in Oxfordshire; unique seedling
Catshead - old English, 1600s
George's Red.. - found in Roundbush, Essex; red-fleshed.
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Kingston Black -cider
Mere Pippin.. - found in Wiltshire; unique seedling
Pendragon - cider; looks as though it will be redfleshed
Pig's Snout - cider
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Sops in Wine, red-fleshed
Witney Deerpark .. - found in Oxfordshire; unique seedling
Wyken Pippin.. - old Warwickshire variety.....
Witney Pear.. - pre-commercial Asian giant cooking pear - found in Oxfordshire
Please contact Mel or myself if you would like to assist.
CURRENT WORK
We are looking for the following varieties:
Foxton's Pride (a.k.a. Foxton's Favourite)
French Codlin (a.k.a. Leicester-Burton Pippin)
Langton's Nonsuch
Marriage Maker
Prince Charles
Belvoir Seedling
Cross's Pippin, from Hugglescote
St. Cecilia, from Mount St. Bernard's Abbey
A number of old trees have been found in and around Foxton village and locks. These are being investigated.
Mel was on Radio Leicester's gardening programme on Nov 1, 2009, giving an update about the project. She can be heard here . ...this recording is reproduced by permission of Radio Leicester, with special thanks to Dave Andrews.
OTHER ARTICLES
Mel has also been looking into old English cider apples - click on Foxwhelps for more information.
Nigel Deacon / Mel Wilson
