The Growing Edge – October 2015

This Month's Featured Trees

This month's featured trees are currently blooming in a spectacular fashion around the nursery. The branches have become invisible behind the profuse white blossoms. They are both hardy, low maintenance trees.

Malus floribunda
Japanese Crab Apple
The Japanese Crab Apple is one of the best crab apples for floral display with masses of white and reddish-pink flowers in spring. An attractive focal point for gardens and parks where there is space for the tree to attain its natural form. Mildly fragrant, single flowers are borne in abundant clusters from mid-spring. The reddish-pink outer of the petals fades to pink and the inside of the petals fades to white. It has a mature height and spread of 5 metres and is in full flower now.

Prunus 'Snozofam'
Weeping Cherry – Snow Fountain

The Snow Fountain is a superb weeping cherry whose spectacular floral and foliage beauty makes it a highly recommended feature plant.
It has a mature height of 2.5 metres and generally comes grafted on a 1.8m standard.

It is adaptable to a wide range of conditions including some heat and moderate levels of dryness. It has good disease resistance and flowers best in full sun.

The Snow Fountain is great specimen for lawns or small areas around the home, border peripheries and Japanese gardens.

Ballerina Apples – What Are They?

Ballerina Apple trees are fruiting trees that grow in a narrow, columnar shape without pruning. This range of trees will not exceed 60cm wide and grows to a maximum height of 3.5 metres. They are not only decorative for their flowers and productive because of their fruit, but can be used in the garden in a variety of areas. The Ballerina Apples prefer full sun to get the best fruit but can tolerate half a days shade.
These trees can be slipped in narrow areas next to driveways or along paths where they can be readily picked but not encroach on the passerby.

The varieties are:

Maypole
Dark red crab apples, large and suitable for jelly. Cerise pink flowers.
Bolero
Medium sized flattish, green skinned fruit with a red blush.
Flamenco
Flushed red fruit. Crisp and tangy.
Polka
Medium size green fruit. Crisp and juicy.
Charlotte
Large green fruit. Best cooking apple.
Waltz
Solid red skin, Crisp and juicy.

What's Been Happening On The Farm
All the staff have been spending some time outside busily weeding, fertilising and pruning our stock to make the most of the growing season. Our bare branched nursery is now full of blossom and new leaf shoots ready to bust out over the next few weeks.

What's Looking Great

Our Photinias are going through their yearly transformation from lush green plants to being covered in red new growth and white flower clusters. They are an ideal, hardy hedge that can be maintained anywhere from 1.0-3.0m.

The Cottages

We have completed renovations on one of our cottages. It is now sporting a new bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living facilities.

This cottage is ideally suited to couples but has the facilities to accommodate up to four people.