Blossoming Pears

April 21, 2019Andrew Lear Appletree Happenings, Appletree Research, Cooking Apples, Dessert Apples, Fruit Press, Pears, Uncategorized

Its that time of year again when we all get anxious about whether there will be a fruit crop this year. I love the pear flowers when they are just opening and the anthers are bright red, and wow what a quantity of them on Jargonelle, Beurre Hardy and Christie in my garden! After a good number of frosts last week, we now have bright sunny bee flying days with warm nights so all is good? What can go wrong? After all we only need a small quantity of these blossoms to get pollinated in order to get a good crop. Go on, count the flowers and imagine the weight of fruit if they all turned to a full crop. The trees would collapse!

I used to bank on April 23rd as the first apple flower day, but this year again it is early.. my Arbroath Oslin and James Grieve have opened a few flowers a few days early. No need to run around with a rabbit’s tail this year as i have seen many earnestly working bees today. Keep up the good work girls!

Pear Stamens

Sunset

August 6, 2018August 29, 2018Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Sunset

The best Cox type apple we can grow in Scotland, it is similar in flavour, crisp and russety. Other contenders are Jupiter and Fiesta, and perhaps Kidd’s Orange Red.

It grows well in the west also, but the fruit can be small, but no less tasty for it.

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Lass O’ Gowrie

August 6, 2018August 28, 2018Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Our local apple, its early, slightly misshapen, and freckled! Its a nice early eater, or good for jellies too. An attractive little fruit, use soon as it is not a keeper.

Lass O Gowrie

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White Melrose

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015Andrew Lear Image Cooking Apples, Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees, Scottish Varieties

White Melrose

Scottish Variety

There’s a tree at Melrose Abbey – an old wizened stick – presumably the mother plant. Ribbed, yellow dual purpose apple. I happily munched one at Elcho Castle last year and was surprised to see the label. Used to be commercially grown in the Borders.

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Lady of the Lake

July 13, 2014Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Lady of the Lake

Eater. Collected in 1958. Came from a tree at The Grange, Nr Errol Carse of Gowrie. Perthshire.

Juicy, soft cream flesh. Introduced back to Scotland by Appletreeman in 2012! Help us spread it around Scotland again!

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Kidd’s Orange Red

July 13, 2014June 6, 2015Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Kidd’s Orange Red

Eater. New Zealand apple raised in 1924 by James Kidd. Cox’s Orange Pippin X Delicious. Introduced to the UK in 1930s.

Rich, well balanced apple. Occasionally seen in Scottish gardens.

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Kidd’s

Keswick Codlin

July 13, 2014October 3, 2014Andrew Lear Image Cooking Apples, Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Keswick Codlin

A very hardy dual purpose early fruit for Scotland. Does very well on the west coast, and appears to be very fertile as it never fails to produce.

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Katy

July 13, 2014October 3, 2014Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Katy

Eater. A Swedish apple raised in 1947, named Katja. In Britain the name is anglicised to Katy; James Grieve X Worcester Pearmain, so with Scottish ancestry.

Sweet and juicy apple; not a keeper. Reliable and popular here in Scotland.

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Jupiter

July 13, 2014October 3, 2014Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

Jupiter

Eater. Raised 1966 by Dr F Alston, East Malling RS. Cox’s Orange Pippin X Starking.

Delicious and strongly flavoured. Large fruit and strongly growing tree. Biennial tendency. Triploid.

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James Grieve

July 13, 2014October 3, 2014Andrew Lear Image Dessert Apples, Fruit Trees

James Grieve

Eater. Raised by James Grieve from a seed of Pott’s Seedling. Introduced by Dickson’s Nursery, Edinburgh in c1910, where Grieve was manager.

Heavy cropping, (I get 150 fruits every year), it’s ‘sweet/sharp’ and juicy; not a keeper, unless you can pick very good specimens. Very reliable and precocious variety, but a relatively short lived tree. We also sell a red form for our occasional poor summers. It is highly praised as a cross in many hybridising programmes (e.g. Katy). I disagree that it’s a cooker as well.

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James Grieve