Blossom Time: 2016

Merryweather Damson

As we have done for a number of years, we publish the blossom records for the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, undertaken and kindly supplied by Lorinda Jewsbury. These are records for a selection of varieties (standards and any new accessions) from all the tree fruit collections at Brogdale.

The flowering season is once more under way in the orchards at Brogdale. Many of the plums have reached full flower and the remaining varieties should not be too far behind. The warm, sunny weather a week or so back saw a good number of pears opening their blossom and some of the cherries began to follow. However, the weekend was a different story weather-wise and the chilly weather that came in has certainly put the brakes on the flowering for now. As for the effect of the chill on the open flowers and fertilisation process, we shall just have to wait and see.

Lorinda Jewsbury

 

2016

PLUM

Cambridge Gage:

Czar: 5^th April (10% open); 10^th April (full flower)

Denniston’s Superb (Imperial Gage): 7^th April (10% open); 10^th April (full flower); 20^th April (90% petal fall)

Farleigh Damson: 11^th April (10% open); 13^th April (full flower)

Marjorie’s Seedling: 18^th April (10% open); 21^st April (full flower)

Oullins Gage: 11^th April (10% open); 12^th April (full flower)

Pershore Yellow Egg: 6^th April (10% open); 8^th April (full flower); 25^th April (90% petal fall)

Victoria: 10^th April (10% open); 14^th April (full flower)

 

PEAR

Concorde:

Conference:

Doyenne du Comice:

Louise Bonne of Jersey: 12^th April (10% open); 15^th April (full flower)

 

CHERRY

Early Rivers: 23^rd April (10% open)

Hertford:

Lapins: 20^th April (10% open); 23^rd April (full flower)

Merchant:

Stella:

Sunburst:

 

APPLE

Blenheim Orange:

Bramley’s Seedling:

Cox’s Orange Pippin:

Crawley Beauty:

Discovery:

Egremont Russet:

Falstaff:

Feuillemorte:

Fiesta/Red Pippin:

Gala:

James Grieve:

Jonagold:

Meridian:

Red Astrachan:

St. Edmund’s Pippin:

Worcester Pearmain:

 

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For a Standard Gooseberry try Jostaberry as the rootstock- has anyone else attempted this?

Invicta gooseberry grafted onto Jostaberry stock on 29 January 2016; thanks to a mild winter it has grown away in the greenhouse and was tip pruned last month to induce bushy growth. 

Because of the extreme vigour of the Jostaberry, I have used it to bud-graft gooseberries on to as standards. So far I’ve managed the gooseberries Captivator and Invicta grown on as standards.
Jostaberry, like the equally vigorous Ribes aureum, will manage four or five foot stems for standards from cuttings taken in early spring and grown on through summer outside and following winter in greenhouse to bud graft in March.
It suckers far less than Ribes aureum which is usual root-stock for grafted gooseberries. Has anyone else tried this?

Phillip Lunt

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