Bright green apricot fruitlets growing against a brick wall.
Bright green apricot fruitlets, surrounded by bright green, fresh leaves, growing against a brick wall.
We have apricot pollination! Here's hoping the fruitlets have a reasonably smooth run through to harvest time.
#NTQBfruit
Pear trees, dotted with white blossom, growing against a tall brick wall in a walled garden, with planting beds in the foreground.
White 'Louise Bonne of Jersey' pear blossom and green leaves, against a brick wall.
White 'Clapp's Favourite' pear blossom and green leaves, against a brick wall.
White 'Buerre Hardy' pear blossom and green leaves, against a brick wall.
Wall-grown pears soaking up the spring sunshine today at NT Quarry Bank, speckled with sprays of bright white flowers.
From L to R on the wall: 'Louise Bonne of Jersey', 'Clapp's Favourite' and 'Buerre Hardy'. Individual pics in the same order.
#pears #NTQBfruit #blossom
A row of apples trees in the walled garden at National Trust Quarry Bank, January 2026.
A row of apples trees in the walled garden at National Trust Quarry Bank, January 2026, back-lit by the setting sun. To the left is a corner of a greenhouse and at the back-right is the corner of the gardener's cottage.
A row of apples trees in the walled garden at National Trust Quarry Bank, January 2026, back-lit by the setting sun. In the centre is a greenhouse with a dipping pond in front of it, and at the back-right is the corner of the vinery glasshouse range, and gardener's cottage.
A row of apples trees in the walled garden at National Trust Quarry Bank, January 2026, back-lit by the setting sun. In the background is a greenhouse.
A winter's afternoon in the linear orchard. Dormant apple trees back-lit by the setting sun.
Walled garden, National Trust Quarry Bank, 13/01/26
#apples #orchard #NTQBfruit 📷: DT
A single 'Ribston Pippin' apple, hanging from a leafy branch
Apple 'Ribston Pippin'. An early C18th introduction from Ribston Hall in Yorkshire, said to have been grown from a pip brought back from Rouen, France. Parent to 'Cox's Orange Pippin'.
Meant to ripen in late Sept, but I've tried one or two & they're pretty much ready to pick already.
#NTQBfruit
'Ashmead's Kernel' apples growing on a tree
Apple 'Ashmead's Kernel'. Another early-ish October variety that's well worth the wait. A flavourful, juicy russet type that should store quite well, too.
#NTQBfruit #apples
A 'Worcester Pearmain' apple tree, covered in bright red apples.
The #apples on this veteran 'Worcester Pearmain' tree at work are bright red & look incredibly appetising. But I tried one earlier in the week & it was still quite hard, starchy, & very hard work to chew.
Goes to show: red does not always = ripe.
But patience definitely = a virtue 😇
#NTQBfruit
Morello cherry blossom dotted against a brick wall.
Close up of Morello cherry blossom against a brick wall.
Cherry 'Morello' just starting to bloom on a north-facing, exterior wall, walled garden, NT Quarry Bank.
#blossom #NTQBfruit
Three dormant fruit trees - left to right: peach, nectarine, apricot - growing against a tall, brick garden wall, and basking in the morning sunshine.
Wall-trained fruit trees - peach, nectarine, apricot - basking in some most welcome sunshine this morning. Kitchen garden, NT Quarry Bank.
#NTQBfruit
A snowy scene in the kitchen garden at National Trust Quarry Bank. A row of apple trees stands stark monochrome against the back-drop of the long vinery glasshouse.
A lone apple tree with branches highlighted by frosted snow in the kitchen garden at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A snowy scene in the kitchen garden at National Trust Quarry Bank. A row of apple trees stretches from left to right, heading towards the Gardener's Cottage at the end of the garden.
A snowy scene in the kitchen garden at National Trust Quarry Bank. A row of apple trees on the left and the Gardener's Cottage on the right.
We've had a bit of snow down at Quarry Bank. Here's the linear #orchard in the kitchen garden yesterday, draped in a crisp, white blanket.
#NTQBfruit #apples #winter
... and those are my favourites of 2024!
If you're vaguely interested in further musings on this year's apple harvest - and details of which varieties are in the selection photo - there's more on the blog:
orchardnotes.com/2024/11/29/m...
#apples #allotment #NTQBfruit
Two 'Royal Jubilee' apples growing on the tree
Three 'Royal Jubilee' apples on a table
8/10 is 'Royal Jubilee' (1888)
A cooker rather than a dessert variety, but it turns out this one dries really, really well, retaining plenty of flavour in the process. Purées quite nicely, too.
#apples #NTQBfruit
'Pitmaston Pine Apple' apples growing on the tree.
Harvested 'Pitmaston Pine Apple' apples
Three 'Pitmaston Pine Apple' apples on a table
6/10 is 'Pitmaston Pine Apple' (c.1785)
A wonderfully tasty little golden-russet apple, tried for the first time this year and already a fast favourite.
Thankfully it doesn't actually taste of pineapple (ick! yuck!), despite what you might have read. Not to me, at least.
#apples #NTQBfruit
Three 'Ellison's Orange' or possibly 'Red Ellison's Orange' apples on a table
A single 'Ellison's Orange' or possibly 'Red Ellison's Orange' apple on a table
2/10 is 'Ellison's Orange' (1904), or possibly the sport 'Red Ellison's Orange' (1948).
This one looks great and tastes superb; a really distinct flavour with notes of aniseed. Another one I'll definitely be grafting this winter to add to the cordon trees on the #allotment.
#apples #NTQBfruit
Three 'Court of Wick' apples on the tree
Three 'Court of Wick' apples on a table
1/10 is 'Court of Wick' (c.1790)
Not the most eye-catching apple, but anything it lacks in looks it more than makes up for with a really interesting flavour. I'll be grafting this one for my #allotment cordon collection this winter.
#apples #NTQBfruit
A wintry Apprentice House orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A wintry Apprentice House orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A wintry Apprentice House orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A winter morning #orchard scene, Apprentice House garden, NT Quarry Bank.
#apples #pears #plums #NTQBfruit
A frosty kitchen garden orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A frosty kitchen garden orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A frosty kitchen garden orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
A frosty kitchen garden orchard at National Trust Quarry Bank.
Frosty morning, linear #orchard, kitchen garden, NT Quarry Bank.
#apples #NTQBfruit 🌱
I've been indulging in a round of 'guess the mystery apple'. It's definitely not 'Rosemary Russet' (as labelled), but what else could it be..?
orchardnotes.com/2024/09/29/a...
#orchard #NTQBfruit #apples 🌱
Apple 'Upton Pyne'. Very pretty striping, but could still be a bit under-ripe, as this one was juicy but lacking in flavour. Hopefully the parakeets will leave a few for another week or two so we can see if it improves.
#NTQBfruit #orchard 🌱
Apple 'Ellison's Orange'. Absolutely delicious: a deep flavour to match its deep red colouring, w. notes of aniseed and bitter orange. One problem this year: didn't keep at all well, went soft inside a week, but that could be caused by wet weather.
#NTQBfruit #apples #orchard 🌱
Apple 'Pitmaston Pine Apple'. Still not quite ripe, but very nearly ready. Won't be long now...
#NTQBfruit #apples #orchard
On the left: 'Rosemary Russet' #apples on our #allotment cordon.
On the right: the 'Rosemary Russet' tree at work that's not showing much in the way of russeting.
I'm thinking the tree on our plot is looking a fair bit truer to type at the moment... 🤔
#orchard #NTQBfruit
Apple 'Worcester Pearmain'. A classic Victorian dessert apple, raised c. 1874 nr. Worcester. Crunchy, sweet with a good acid bite.
Still slightly under-ripe, but so close now... 😋
#orchard #apples #NTQBfruit
Another potential problem caused by not thinning your #apples, and leaving too many apples in a cluster. If one is damaged and brown rot sets in, it can quickly spread to the nearby fruits.
#NTQBfruit #orchard
One of the perils of not thinning #apples quite rigorously enough: a snapped branch on our 'Charles Ross' tree, caused by the combo of the weight of fruit + high winds last week.
Not entirely surprising though, those are some big, beautiful apples.
#NTQBfruit #orchard #apples
Apple 'Egremont Russet'. Another classic Victorian variety, first recorded in 1872, ready in late Sept.
Here in the UK this is probably the only russet-style apple you'll see in supermarkets. Well worth picking up a few if and when you do.
#NTQBfruit #orchard
Apple 'Charles Ross'. Good size, very nice colouring, still far too green to be ripe, but hopefully ready in a couple of weeks, maybe a little longer if the weather isn't kind. I'm looking forward to sampling this one.
#NTQBfruit #orchard
Bit of a puzzle here. Labelled and recorded as 'Rosemary Russet', but there's barely a hint of russeting on any of the fruits on the tree, and there are quite a few. Not meant to be ready until early October, so perhaps it'll develop a bit of texture by then?
#NTQBfruit #orchard
A few more of the under-ripe windfall #apples that I gathered up last week.
Top row: 'Charles Ross', 'Nine Square', 'Egremont Russet', 'Ellison's Orange'.
Bottom row: 'Adams's Pearmain', 'Upton Pyne', 'Laxton's Superb'.
#NTQBfruit #orchard
Apple 'Lord Clyde', or possibly 'Scotch Bridget', depending on which set of records is correct.
Size-wise Clyde looks likelier, colouring-wise possibly a bit more Bridget. Time will hopefully tell, once they ripen up a fair bit more.
#NTQBfruit #orchard
