Ivydene Gardens Extra Pages of Plants
Top Fruit Plant List

"Grow Grafting Service – A specialist service unique to Brogdale.

Brogdale is the home of the national fruit collection and Grow is the on site specialist nursery and garden centre that for many years have accessed the collection to produce heritage apples and pears from the thousands of varieties on offer.

For a lot of customers the desire to own a heritage variety stems from tasting the fruit at one of our festivals or a resonant memory from there past. People recognise that within the spectrum of fruit flavours we are exposed to just a small portion when purchasing fruit from commercial sources like supermarkets. Another reason to access this process is create area specific orchards, most counties and countries have locally bred fruits and it is wonderful to re-establish this link.

Also we provide a service to graft from a tree you want to preserve, last year (2012) nearly 600 trees were ‘duplicated’ for a variety of customers. Sometimes the trees were of an unknown variety but obviously had personal significance; an added advantage was to start afresh as a young tree with a modern rootstock." from Grow at Brogdale.

Choosing a top fruit tree instead of a tree from the tree list provides you with a plant of a size that is suitable for most current gardens. These trees also produce edible fruit.

The size of the tree required

This is controlled by the fruit tree rootstock chosen. Apples from Very Dwarfing on M27 at 5-6 feet ultimate height to Very Vigorous on M25 with 25-30 feet ultimate height. Ultimate heights for other fruit trees given in their header row.

Varieties for ease of management

Choose varieties with good disease resistance

Earlies, mids, lates.

Choose varieties that can be eaten from August, or store well until Spring.

Triploids

Triploids will require 2 other pollinators.

Dwarfing trees

These need the best soil and a permanent stake.

Trained top fruit trees

If space is limited and a 'sunny' wall or fence is available, 'trained' forms of top fruit tree such as cordons, espaliers and fans are ideal.

Best time to plant

The best time to plant is during the dormant season from mid-November to mid-March. Bare rooted plants have to be planted at this time, with no competition from other plants for 2 feet radius from their trunk - I was asked in August 2017 to look at some plum trees grown on a slope within a lawn after 2 days of heavy rain. One had dead branches and the others dehydrated fruit. With the owner's permission, I (as a retired garden designer, garden constructor and maintenance man during 21 years before I retired due to heart failure and various other medical complaints) dug into the lawn with a trowel and pulled the turf back to show that the ground underneath was bone dry. I suggested that the turf be removed using a fork to reduce damage to the tree roots; to 36 inch (90 cms) radius from each trunk, then when the grass was cut to apply it as a mulch in the exposed soil, and perhaps grow only bulbs in that mulched soil. Having rested from my no-charge-labour of pulling up a 3 inch (7.5 cms) width of turf, I then pushed it back into its place, before wearily dragging my carcase off the premises.
2 months later there had been no turf removed even though the retired couple employed their own commercial gardener.
If you are starving and you consult a professional dietician who states that you should eat and you do not take that medical instruction and die,
then
like 99% of the population who insist on putting a lawn right up to tree trunks (or on roadside pavements together with retail car park pavements surrounding the tree trunk with tarmac), you were an imbecile.

One large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air in a day. Tree roots do not grow very deep. Most tree roots are in the top 12 inches of soil. Tree roots often extend two to three times the width of the tree canopy.

Container grown trees can in theory be planted anytime, but particular attention to watering will be necessary; if planted from Spring to Summer.

Site

The ideal site would be a well sheltered South facing slope. More vigorous rootsocks have more root to provide better anchorage on exposed sites. All fruit trees need good light to produce good quality fruit, and a site facing South or West is best. However, Pears and Apples will fruit when facing East. Morello Cherries and Cooking Apples will all produce some fruit on a site facing North.

Soil
Most fruits prefer a fairly neutral soil, pH of 6.5. Dwarfing rootstocks should only be planted in the best soils. Most vigorous rootstocks can cope with a less than ideal soil.
Where possible, it is best to improve planting sites a month before the trees arrive. Sandy soil should have plenty of organic matter incorporated ( such as leaf compost from your garden, spent mushroom compost or bark from Gardenscape) to increase the water retention of the soil. On heavy clay soils try to incorporate a 2" layer of horticultural grit and organic matter to aerate, and improve drainage through flocculation.

"Grow Your Own Fruit" by Ken Muir, Honeypot Farm, Weeley Heath, Clacton-On-Sea, Essex. CO16 9BJ Tel: 01255 830181 provides the information on cultural practices in a clear and concise manner, as does "The RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening FRUIT" by Harry Baker ISBN 1 85732 905 8.
"Success with Growing Fruit in containers" by Peter Himmelhuber ISBN 1-85391-797-4 shows which varieties of these fruits can be grown in pots with cultural practice information.

Pollination
Most apples , pears and older varieties of cherry are not self-fertile. They need to be pollinated by a different variety that blossoms at the same time.

• Unless varieties are self-fertile, they will need a pollinator in the same or adjacent groups. These are diploid varieties. e.g Charles Ross is an apple variety in Group 3, preferably it needs to be pollinated by another in Group 3, but may also be pollinated by a variety in an adjacent Group 2 or 4.
• Triploid varieties eg Bramley produce sterile pollen and cannot pollinate any other variety. To produce fruit, the triplod will need two pollinators, so you will need 3 trees all from the same or adjacent flowering Groups.
• More modern varieties of cherry are self-fertile, so they can set fruit by themselves, which is indicated in the list.
• Some cherries are incompatible with others and need what are called 'universal donors' as pollinators; the newer self-fertile varieties are very effective for this and this is indicated in the list.

Top Fruit Tree Form. Tree Form refers to the way in which the tree has been trained:-

• Bush. Two year old Bush trees are trained as open centre (goblet shaped) trees with a clear stem of 2ft (0.6m). Suitable for relatively small trees on semi-dwarfing rootstocks for small and medium sized gardens.
• Centre Leader. The centre leader has been maintained on these trees to allow training into dwarf pyramid and spindle bush forms. Suitable for trees on dwarfing rootstocks for small gardens or restricted spaces. These trees would require permanent support with a long stake.
• Cordon. Cordons are single stem trees with short branches or spurs bearing fruit. They are usually planted as oblique cordons at an angle of 45-60 degrees to the ground, but can also be planted as vertical cordons sometimes referred to as minarettes (available from Ken Muir). They need a set of horizontal wires up to about 6ft (1.8m) for support. They also need appropriate summer pruning to maintain the cordon form. Cordons are very useful for small gardens, or for planting along fences.
• Espalier (2 Tier). Espalier trees consist of a vertical stem and a set of horizontal arms or tiers extending either way bearing short lateral branches or spurs on which fruit is produced. The arms would typically be 18 inches (0.5m) apart. Two tier espaliers will have two sets of arms already partly trained and a continuing centre leader which would allow more sets of arms to be trained if required. They need a set of horizontal wires for support. They also need appropriate summer pruning to maintain and develop the form. Espaliers are very useful as a decorative feature on walls and fences.
• Family Tree. Family trees have more than one variety of fruit grafted onto one rootsock, eg three different varieties of apple. The varieties are selected to cross pollinate so there is no need for a separate tree as a pollinator. They are useful for small gardens where there is room for only one tree.
• Fan. Fan trained trees have been trained with several branches starting near the ground all in the same plane forming a fan shape. They need a set of horizontal wires for support. They also need appropriate summer pruning to maintain and develop the form. Fans are very useful as a decorative feature on walls and fences.
• Half Standard. Half standard trees are trained as open centre (goblet shaped) trees with a clear stem of 4-5ft (1.3m-1.5m). Suitable for medium sized trees on semi-vigorous rootstocks for large or medium sized gardens.
• Maiden. Maidens are untrained one year old trees. Some varieties naturally produce branches in the first year. These are known as feathered maidens. Other varieties do not and are referred to as maiden whips. Typically maiden apples, pears and cherries are 4-6ft (1.3-1.8m) in height. Maiden plums may be taller.
• Standard. Standard trees are trained as open centre (goblet shaped) trees with a clear stem of about 6ft (1.8m). Suitable for large trees on vigorous rootstocks for large gardens and old fashioned orchards.
• Step-over. Step-overs are trees on very dwarfing rootstocks with a single horizontal branch typically 18-24 inches (0.4-0.6m) above the ground. Pruned to create fruiting spurs along its whole length. They are useful for planting along the edge of paths and borders. They need appropriate summer pruning to maintain and develop the form.

Keepers Nursery of Gallants Court, East Farleigh, Maidstone, Kent ME15 0LE (Tel: 01622 726465   Fax: 0870 705 2145) produce over 600 varieties of fruit trees. Their website www.keepers-nursery.co.uk can provide further details including colour photographs of most of the following trees in this page.

The following bare-root trees from 'Grow' at Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent. ME13 8XZ (Tel: 01795 531 888) would be supplied between November and April, which is their time for lifting and planting bare-root trees, through Brogdale Horticultural Trust at www.brogdale.org.
"A little history . . .
The National Fruit Collections were first established in Chiswick, London in the early 1800s by the Horticultural Society (now the Royal Horticultural Society) under the guidance of Thomas Andrew Knight. The origin of the Collections stemmed from a need to establish correct nomenclature and accurate cultivar descriptions of temperate fruits grown in the UK.The first catalogue, published in 1826 and followed by a more detailed edition in 1831, listed some 1400 apples, 677 pear and 360 gooseberry cultivars, although many of these have subsequently been proved synonyms.The National Fruit Trials and the Collections were established in 1921 at Wisley, Surrey, being initially managed by A.M. Rawes and subsequently by J.M.S. Potter from 1936. The Collections were relocated from Wisley to Brogdale between 1952 and 1954, when the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) assumed complete funding. The present day Collections were largely built up from this time onwards under the direction of J.M.S. Potter until 1972, and by successive Directors of Brogdale.In 1988 the Collections were registered with the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) under the National Collections Scheme.

One of the largest collections of apples in the world!
Currently The National Fruit Collections at Brogdale are the largest fruit collection in the world growing on one site and comprise over 4,000 fruit varieties: around 2,000 apples, 500 pears, 280 cherries, 300 plums, 50 hazelnuts, 150 gooseberries, 200 currants (black, red, white and pink), as well as small collections of vines, quinces, medlars and apricots.The Collections are our national fruit heritage: the varieties that have been grown in gardens and orchards for centuries and which have shaped local communities and our landscapes. They are a living gene bank, which forms part of the UK’s contribution to global food security and both a national and international genetic resource.The Collections belong to Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) which funds their maintenance and curatorship. From 1 April 2008 the contract holders are the University of Reading in partnership with FAST (Farm Advisory Service team).Grow manage the propagation of heritage varieties for the public and orchards as well as run the onsite nursery and growing garden centre. We care passionately about the longevity of the collection and work with local schools and Local Authorities to plant community orchards and individual garden spaces that further increase the planting of unique & heritage fruits." from Grow at Brogdale.

Apple Rootstock

Ultimate Height

M27

5-6 feet

M9

8-10 feet

M26

10-15 feet

MM106

14-18 feet

M25

25-30 feet

Uses

Vertical cordons,
Patio tree,
Stepover,
Dwarf Bush.

Oblique cordon,
Stepover,
Bush,
Central Leader,
Pyramid

Oblique cordon,
Stepover,
Bush,
Central Leader,
Pyramid,
Small Espalier.

Double Cordon.,
Half Standard,
Espalier,
Fan,
Bush,
Central Leader.

Standards

Fruiting in

2-3 years

3-4 years

3-4 years

4-5 years

6-7 years

Full cropping
Potential

4-5 years
4.5-7Kg

5-6 years
13.5-20Kg

5-6 years
25-30Kg

7-8 years
40-50Kg

8-9 years
75-120Kg

Planting Distance

5-6 feet

8-10 feet

10-12 feet

14-18 feet

30 feet

Soil/Site

Requires a good deep fertile loam, clean ground, Not for heavy (Clay) soils

Requires a good deep fertile loam, clean ground, no competition from other plants. Not for heavy (Clay) soils

Requires a good deep fertile loam. Not for heavy (Clay) soils

Can tolerate heavier soils and more exposed sites.

Will tolerate most sites and soils. Good pest and disease resistance. Not the tree to plant if space is limited.

Stake

Permanent stake

Permanent stake

for 5 years

for 5 years

for 5 years

Apple Name
(Malus domestica) available from Brogdale Horticultural Trust
www.brogdale.org

Cooker/Dessert

Pollination Group Number

Tree Form Availability
Rootstock.Height.
M27..........5-6
M9...........8-10
M26........10-15
MM106....14-18
M25.........25-30

Pick month/
Keep till Month

Description

Adams Pearmain

Dessert

2

M9- Maiden, M25-Standard

Pick Early October/

Keep Nov-March

Red-Brown, with a rich aromatic, nutty flavour. Excellent keeper. Attractive blossom.

Annie Elizabeth

Cooker

4

MM106-Maiden
M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep February

Orange with a red flush. Large fruit with a sweet flavour. A good keeper and ideal for stewing. Remains popular with northern gardeners. Keeps shape when cooked.

Ashmeads Kernel

Dessert

5

M9-Maiden
MM106-Half Standard
M25-Standard Espalier

Pick October/

Keep February

Connoisseur's choice. Attractive red flowers and green or yellow flushed fruit with a taste of Fruit Drops.Good cropping but erratic due possibly to cold Spring.

Bardsey

Dessert

3

M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep January

The 'sainted' apple found growing on Bardsey Island in Wales in 1998. This pink over cream, lemon scented apple is unique and very disease resistant.

Beauty of Bath

Dessert

2

MM106-Maiden
M25-Standard

Pick August/

Do not Keep

Bright red flush on yellow, pink stained flesh. Sweet and juicy when ripe. Overripe it will taste fermented. Can 'drop' before being ripe.

Blenheim Orange

Dessert/Cooker

3 Triploid

MM106-Maiden
M27-Bush
MM106-Half Standard Stepover

Pick October/

Keep January

Orange-red apple. Sweet nutty flavour. Good with cheese and for Apple Charlotte. Biennial in heavy fruit production.

Bountiful

Cooker

2

MM106-Maiden
M27-Bush
Stepover

Pick September/

Keep November

An apple that keeps its shape when cooked. Soft, juicy and sweet.Resistant to mildew.

Braeburn

Dessert

4

MM106
M26-Bush
Stepover
 

Pick October/

Keep March

Crisp, firm, aromatic fruit. Excellent all round quality, requires a sheltered sunny spot.

Bramley

Cooker

3 Triploid

M27-Bush
M9-Maiden
M26-Small Espalier
MM106-Espalier
M25
MM106-Half Standard

Pick October/

Keep March

The most popular cooker. Greenish-yellow with a strong acid flavour. Vigorous growth. First trees planted commercially in Kent in 1890.

Charles Ross

Dessert/Cooker

3

M27-Maiden
M26
MM106
M9-Bush
 

Pick September/

Keep December

Easy to grow eating apple. Best used early for cooking. Sweet flavoured with an orange red flush. Good chalk tolerance and scab resistance. A valued garden apple.

Claygate Pearmain

Dessert

2

MM106-Maiden
M25 Standard

Pick October/

Keep February

Rich and aromatic with a nutty taste. Combines the qualities of Blenheim and Ribston. Flushed orange-red over greenish-yellow background. Good cropping.

Court Pendu Plat

Dessert

5

M9-Maiden
M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep March

Greenish-yellow flushed orange/red. Rich and fruity pineapple flavour. Good frost resistance and keeps flavour when stored. Among top ten Victorian dessert apples.

Cox

Dessert

3
Self-fertile

M26-Maiden
M27-Bush
M9
Stepover
MM106
Espalier

Pick October/

Keep January

A very self-fertile form. For less than ideal Cox growing conditions. Spicy, honeyed, nutty, pear-like aromatic flavour.

Cornish Aromatic

Dessert

4

M25-Maiden

Pick October/

Keep January

Bright Red with russeting. Sweet, sharp pear drop and spice flavour. Light crop.

D'arcy Spice

Dessert

3

M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep

Bright green becoming gold with red flush. Hot, spicy nutmeg flavour. Erratic cropping.

Devonshire Quarrenden

Dessert

2

MM106-Bush
M25 Standard

Pick August/

Keep September

Dark, bright red-crimson fruit with distinct strawberry/wine flavour. Soon goes soft once picked.

Discovery

Dessert

3

M26-Maiden
M9-Bush
M26
MM106-Half Standard

Pick August/

Does not Keep

Bright red flush. Crisp and juicy with a hint of strawberry. Disease resistant. Slow to bear.

Egremont Russet

Dessert

2

M9-Maiden
M26
Stepover
MM106
Espalier
M27-Bush
M9-Cordon
M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep December

The most popular Russet, with cream-tinged-yellow firm flesh and a sweet and nutty flavour. Makes an upright tree with very good frost and disease resistance, so suitable for organic growing. A good pollinator.

Ellison's Orange

Dessert

4

M26-Maiden
MM106
 

Pick September/

Keep October

Striped red juicy apple. Intense flavour turning to aniseed when ripe. Good scab and frost resistance. Good crop.

Fiesta

Dessert

3

M27-Maiden
M26
MM106-Espalier
M27-Bush
MM106
MM106-Half Standard
M9-Cordon
Stepover

Pick October/

Keep January

Rich aromatic and sweet 'Cox' like flavour. Heavy crops, good frost resistance makes this an ideal variety for Northern areas. Grown commercially in Kent.

Gala

Dessert

4

M26-Maiden

Pick October/

Keep January

A reliable cropper with good crisp, refreshing well flavoured fruit. Prone to canker and scab.

George Cave

Dessert

2

MM106-Bush
MM106-Espalier

Pick August/

Does not Keep

White flesh with a strong, sweet-sharp taste.

Golden Noble

Cooker

4

MM106-Maiden
M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep March

One of the best cookers. Sharp and well flavoured but needing little sugar. Ideal for pies. Keeps well. A tip-bearing variety. Resistant to scab and mildew.

Golden Pippin

Dessert Cooker

2

M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep January

Gold with russet dots. A sweet flavour with a lemon tang. Cooks well.

Great Expectations

Dessert

5

MM106-Bush

Pick October/

Keep November

Small and russeted with a superb flavour and very attractive blossom. Spreading tree.

Greensleaves

Dessert

3

M26-Bush
MM106-Espalier

Pick September/

Does not Keep

Excellent garden tree and apple. Pale, greenish-yellow, with a crisp, tangy flavour. Very easy to grow. Eat from the tree. Heavy cropper

Grenadier

Cooker

3

M26-Bush

Pick September/

Does not Keep

A heavy cropping cooking apple with greeny-yellow fruit. Cooks to a creamy, sharp puree.

Herefordshire Russet

Dessert

3

MM106-Maiden
M25
M9-Bush
M26
MM106-Half Standard

Pick September/

Keep January

An excellent new variety (2004) of russet with a rich and aromatic Cox-like flavour. Stores well.

Howgate Wonder

Cooker

3

MM106-Bush
M25-Standard

Pick October/

Keep March

Large yellow red-striped cooker, with a light flavour. Keeps shape well when cooked. Spreading tree. Resistant to mildew.

James Grieve

Dessert/ Cooker

3

MM106-Maiden
M25
M27-Bush
M26
MM106
Espalier
M9-Cordon

Pick September/

Keep October

Red-flushed-stripes over pale green. Crisp and juicy with good flavour. Can be picked early and used as a cooker. A reliable cropper. Resistant to mildew. Spreading tree.

Jupiter

Dessert

3

M26-Bush

Pick October/

Keep January

Large and Cox-like with a more robust flavour. Sweet and juicy flesh. Biennial fruiting.

Katy

Dessert

3

M26-Maiden
M9

Pick September/

Does not Keep

Heavy crops of bright red early fruit with sweet strawberry flavoured firm flesh. A good pollinator. Once picked, soon goes soft. Syn Katja.

Kidd's Orange Red

Dessert

3

M26-Maiden
MM106
M26-Bush
MM106

Pick October/

Keep January

Yellow with red stripes. Sweet, crisp and aromatic. A good Cox alternative. Needs plenty of autumn sunshine to build up flavours.

Laxton's Superb

Dessert

4

MM106-Maiden
Cordon

Pick October/

Keep November

Will grow where Cox fails to thrive, and has some of its rich complexity of flavour. It is sweet with a fine textured quite juicy flesh. Spreading tree instead of normal upright apple tree growth.

Limelight

Dessert

4

M9-Maiden
MM106

Pick September/

Keep November

Excellent garden variety; a crisp and refreshing green apple with a good disease resistance.

Lord Derby

Cooker

3

M26-Maiden
MM106
Espalier
MM106-Bush

Pick October/

Keep December

A good strong tasting cooking apple for pies beautiful flowers. Good for northern areas. Good cropping.

Lord Lambourne

Dessert

2

MM106-Maiden
M26-Bush
MM106
MM106-Half Standard

Pick September/

Keep November

Bright striped fruit, moderatley sweet and aromatic with some strawberry flavour. A good garden apple. Tip-bearing. Resistant to mildew.

Mabbot's Pearmain

Dessert

3

MM106-Bush

Pick September/

Keep December

Thickly speckled russetted apple over an orange-red flush. A sharp refeshing taste of fruit. Heavy cropping.

Meridian

Dessert

3

M26-Maiden
MM106

Pick September/

Keep March

A large Red Falstaff x Cox cross, with a juicy aromatic flavour. A heavy cropping disease-resistant variety, which also has good keeping qualities.

Orange Gofff

Cooker

2

MM106-Bush

Pick September/

Keep December

Good for fruit jams and sauces, an orange fleshed dual purpose apple, which keeps its shape when cooked. Was used to 'help' marmalade producers in Dundee until practice stopped by Adulteration Act.

Orleans Reinette

Dessert

4

M26-Bush
MM106
M25-Standard

Pick September/

Keep December

Golden-yellow fruit flushed red, with nutty aromatic sweet firm flesh. Dual purpose. Makes sweet baked apple using early fruit. Needs warm spot for good flavour.

Peasgood Nonesuch

Cooker/Dessert

3

MM106-Bush
M25-Standard
MM106-Espalier

Pick September/

Keep December

Pale green with broken red stripes and an orange flush. Good for baking and salads. Spreading tree. Resistant to mildew , red spider and partly to scab.

Pitmaston Pine Apple

Dessert

3

MM106
M25-Standard

Pick September/

Keep December

A small conical apple with a distinctive taste of pineapple blended with honey and musk. Upright tree. Crops heavily and biennially.

Queen Cox

Dessert

3

M9-Maiden

Pick September/

Keep January

Cox's Orange (Queen) is a more highly coloured variety of Cox's Orange Pippin. An intense aromatic flavour.

Red Devil

Dessert

3
Self-fertile

M27-Maiden
M26
Small Espalier
MM106
Espalier

Pick September/

Keep December

Good garden variety with scarlet flush. Good fruity strawberry flavour. Disease resistant. Raised in Faversham, Kent. Heavy cropper.

Falstaff (Red)

Dessert

3
Self-fertile

M27-Maiden
Stepover
M9
M26
Small Espalier
M9-Bush
M9-Cordon
MM106-Half Standard
MM106-Espalier

Pick October/

Keep March

Fruity, well-balanced flavour. Crisp and juicy. One of the heaviest yielding apples. Can be stored easily and eaten throughout the winter. Frost resistant. Planted commercially in kent.

Red Millers Seedling

Dessert

2

MM106-Bush

Pick August/

Does not Keep

Medium pale yellow with bright red flush. Crisp, soft white sweet flesh. heavy cropping biennally.

Red Windsor

Dessert

2
Self-fertile

M27-Maiden
M9
M26
Small Espalier
MM106
Espalier
M9-Bush
M9-Cordon

Pick September/

Keep October

Superb Cox-like flavour. A good cropping garden variety.

Reinne de Reinettes

Cooker

3

M25-Maiden
M26-Bush

Pick Early October/

Keep December

Sweet with plenty of acidity. Keeps shape when cooked. Ideal for 'Tarte Tartin'. Syn. King of the Pippins. Upright tree with good disease resistance.

Ribston Pippin

Dessert

2

MM106-Maiden
M26-Bush

Pick October/

Keep January

Yellow, flushed brown/orange fruit. Intense rich aromatic flavour. Juicy and firm. Sharper than Cox. Upright tree. Resistant to scab.

Rosemary Russet

Dessert

3

M25-Maiden
 

Pick October/

Keep March

Pale Yellow flushed bright reddish-brown. Intensely flavoured of Acid Drops. Upright tree. Good cropper.

Saturn

Dessert

3
Self-fertile

M27-Maiden
M9
M26
MM106

Pick September

Keep February

Very resistant to scab. Heavy crops of attractive red blushed conical fruit. Firm flesh and sweet flavour.

Scrumptious

Dessert

3
Self-fertile

M27-Maiden
M9
M26
Small Espalier
MM106
Espalier

Pick Mid September/

Does not Keep

Frost and disease resistant, fragrant and honey. Eat straight from tree. Doesn't drop.

Spartan

Dessert

3

M26-Bush
MM106-Half Standard

Pick October/

Keep January

Popular eater. Fruit dark red, sweet, crisp and juicy. Easy to grow.

Sunset

Dessert

3

M27-Maiden
M26
Cordon
MM106
Espalier
M9-Bush
M9-Cordon

Pick September/

Keep December

Similar to Cox, but more disease resistant. Sharp intense flavour. Heavy cropper. Excellent garden apple.

Sweet Society

Dessert

4

M26-Maiden
 

Pick September/

Keep January

Selected by the Royal Horticultural Society to celebate their bi-centennial. An attractive slightly small Cox type apple with superb aromatic eating qualities.

Tydeman's Late Orange

Dessert

3

MM106-Maiden

Pick October/

Keep October

Orange/Red colour with some russeting. Firm and sweet. Rich and aromatic. Trouble free. Heavy cropping. If fruit is not thinned, then the fruit will be small.

Winter Gem

Dessert

3

M27-Bush
M26
Stepover
Espalier
MM106-Half Standard

Pick October/

Keep February

Heavy cropping. Handsome orange/red flushed over gold. Tasty, rich and aromatic.

Worcester Pearmain

Dessert

3

M27-Maiden
MM106
M25
M26-Bush
MM106-Half Standard

Pick September/

Keep October

Reliable heavy crop of delicious orange-red fruit. Firm and juicy flesh. Very sweet flavour with a hint of strawberry. Distinctive blossom- almond opening to silvery white.

Yellow Ingestrie

Dessert

1

M25-Maiden

Pick September/

Keep October

Greenish-yellow fruit turning yellow. Sharp, fruity and firm. Spreading tree. Good cropping. Ideal for wiring onto evergreens to make Kissing Boughs and sprays.

Cider apples are grown as standard trees to produce the maximum yield for juice production.

Brogdale Horticultural Trust has an Apple National Collection of 2111 varieties and has a Cider Apple Weekend Event each September and Cider Fest Evening Event each October.

Cider Apple Name
(Malus domestica) available from Brogdale Horticultural Trust
www.brogdale.org

Pollination Group Number

Tree Form Availability
Rootstock.Height.
M27..........5-6
M9...........8-10
M26........10-15
MM106....14-18
M25.........25-30

Pick month

Description

Dabinett

5

M25-Maiden

Pick November

The most reliable cider variety producing high quality juice. Produces bittersweet cider with 'soft, full bodied, astringency'.

Herefordshire Redstreak

5

M25-Maiden

Pick November

A very famous cider apple. Flesh is a vibrant red streak colour as the name suggests.

Harry Masters Jersey

5

M25-Maiden

Pick October

Known as port wine. A full bittersweet cider taste with soft astringency.

Tom Putt

3

M25-Maiden

Pick September

Bright red with streaks. Firm, crisp and sharp. Sweet when cooked. Scab resistant. Widely planted in West Midlands in 1920s.

Pears flower early and so are liable to damage by spring frosts and cold winds. It is best to grow them as Minarettes, Cordons and Espaliers on warm South, South-West or West facing walls or fences.

Brogdale Horticultural Trust has a Pear National Collection of 522 varieties. Self-guided walks with a Plant Centre and Tea rooms are available every day.

Pear and Quince Rootstock

Quince 'C' (QC)
Dwarfing

Quince 'A' (QA)
Semi-vigorous

PYC
Very vigorous

Ultimate height for a Bush tree

6-10 feet

8-10 feet

30 feet

Half Standard

N/A

Maximum 16 feet

25-30 feet

Uses

Cordon
Bush
Central Leader

Fan
Cordon
Bush
Central Leader
Half Standard
Espalier

Standard Tree

Fruiting

4 years

4 years

6-7 years

Full cropping
Potential

6-7 years
20-30Kgs

7 years
40-50 Kgs

8-9 years
75-120 Kgs

Planting Distance

6-10 feet

10-15 feet

30 feet

Staking

Permanently

5 years

5 years

Soil

Fertile soil which does not dry out too quickly

Most fertile medium to heavy soils

Less than ideal soil conditions.

Pear Name
(Malus domestica) available from Brogdale Horticultural Trust
www.brogdale.org

Pollination Group Number

Tree Form Availability Rootstock. Ultimate Height
QC........................6-10
QA........................8-10
PYC..........................30

Pick month/
Keep till Month

Description

Beth

3

QA-Bush
QC-Cordon

Pick September/

Does not Keep

Pale green turning pale yellow. Small and sweet. Good for gardens.

Beurre Hardy

4

QC-Bush
QA-Maiden
QA-Half Standard

Pick September/

Keep October

Medium large and light green. Tender and juicy, rose-water flavour.

Concorde

4

QC-Maiden
QA-Bush
QC-Cordon
Espalier

Pick September/

Keep November

Medium to large fruit. Pale green turning yellow. Sweet and juicy flesh with a pleasant mild flavour.

Conference

3
Self-fertile

QA-Maiden
QC
PYC
QA-Half Standard
QC-Cordon

Pick September/

Keep November

Medium yellow-green. Sweet, juicy, good cropper.

Doyenne du Comice

4

QA-Bush
QC
Espalier

Pick October/

Keep December

Large, pale green fruit. Rich, juicy superb flavour. Needs good pollinator such as Concorde.

Durondeau

3

PYC-Maiden

Pick September/

Keep November

Attractive medium fruit with a juicy sweet flavoured flesh. Needs a moist soil . The flowers resist frost well making it good for the north.

Emile D'Heyst

2

QA-Maiden

Pick September/

Keep November

One of the most reliable croppers even in the north. Light green medium sized fruit with a firm yellowish green flesh. Sweet, juicy and sub-acid flavour.

Jargonelle

1

PYC-Maiden

Pick August/

Does not Keep

Suitable for growing anywhere North or South in the United Kingdom. Good frost and disease resistance. The yellow flesh is tender and juicy. Tip bearer.

Louise Bonne of Jersey

2

QA-Maiden

Pick September/

Keep October

Small/medium in size. Pale yellowish-green fruit with a dark red flush. Melting sweet white flesh. Reliable cropper.

Packham's Triumph

3

QA-Bush

Pick October/

Keep December

Medium to large bright fruit if thinned. Compact growing tree.

Williams

3

QC-Bush
QA-Maiden
QC-Cordon

Pick August/

Does not Keep

Medium size fruit. Sweet and juicy. Regular cropping but does not keep.

Sweet Cherries crop best under conditions of light rainfall, 2 feet deep of fertile, well-drained soil. They flower early and so require protection against spring frosts. Best grown as a Dwarf Bush tree.

Brogdale Horticultural Trust has a Cherry National Collection of 320 varieties and has a Cherry Blossom Week Event each April and Cherry Week Event each July.

Sweet Cherry Rootstock

G5
Dwarfing

Colt
Semi-vigorous

Ultimate Height

10 feet

20 feet

Uses

Dwarf Bush Tree
Container Tree

Bush
Half Standard
Fan-Trained

Fruiting

3 years

3-4 years

Full cropping
Potential

3 years
10-12 Kgs

5 years
20-25 Kgs

Staking

Permanently

5 years

Soil

Requires good, fertile, deep loam

Tolerant of lighter, chalky or heavier clay soils

Sweet Cherry Name
(Prunus avium) available from Brogdale Horticultural Trust
www.brogdale.org

Pollinator

Tree Form Availability Rootstock. Height
G5.............10
Colt............20
 

Pick month
 

Description

Celeste

Self-fertile

Colt-Bush

Sweet cherry. Dark red fruits of excellent eating quality. A naturally compact growth habit.

Lapins

Self-fertile

G5-Maiden

Pick Late July

Sweet cherry. Large dark red fruit. A good garden tree with an upright habit.

Merton Glory

Pollinated by either Stella or Sunburst

G5-Maiden
Colt
Fan

Pick Early July

Sweet cherry. Very large heart-shaped, white with pink flush. A sweet fruit making a shapely compact tree.

Morello

Self-fertile

G5-Maiden
Colt

Pick July

Acid cherry. Large dark red cooking cherry. Acid flavour. Very hardy and good for north walls.

Penny

Pollinated by Stella, Sunburst or Merton Glory

G5-Maiden

Pick Mid-Late August

Sweet cherry. A new dark cherry from East Malling. Quite large, firm and a reliable cropper when young.

Stella

Self-fertile

G5-Maiden
Colt
Fan

Pick Late July

Sweet cherry. Dark sweet and juicy fruit. Reliable cropper.

Summer Sun

Pollinated by Stella and Summer Sun

G5-Maiden
Colt
Fan

Sweet cherry. A sweet red cherry with a compact growth habit. Suitable for cold exposed areas.

Sunburst

Self-fertile

G5-Maiden
Colt
Fan

Pick Mid-July

Sweet cherry. Georgeous flavour.

Sweetheart

Self-fertile

G5-Maiden

Pick Early August

Sweet cherry. Firm red cherries with a good flavour. Fruits when young.

Sylvia

Pollinated by Celeste

Colt-Maiden

Pick Early August

Sweet cherry. Large dark red fruit. A compact variety with attractive leaves.

Height in inches (cms):-

25.4mm = 1 inch
304.8mm = 12 inches
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
914.4mm = 1 yard

I normally round this to
25mm = 1 inch
300mm = 30 cms = 12 inches =1 foot,
900 mm = 3 feet = 1 yard and
1000mm = 100 cms = 1 metre = 40 inches

This table has been copied from
Ivydene Gardens Plants:
Plant Pruning

Pruning of
Woody Plants in Groups 1 - 13 and Herbaceous Perennials in Group 14 with Ferns in Group 15 and Evergreen Perennials in Group 16.

The aim of formative pruning of a new plant is to produce a balanced framework of sturdy, well-spaced branches that permit maximum light and air to reach the entire plant. Most evergreen trees and shrubs require little formative pruning, but may need light shaping after planting (plant in Autumn) in Spring, to ensure balanced growth. Formative pruning of deciduous trees/shrubs should be carried out in the dormant season (most deciduous trees/shrubs have lost their leaves by January and do not grow new ones before March), either at or soon after planting in the Autumn. If a young shrub does not have a balanced framework, cut off the sideshoots of the main stems, then select 4 or 5 of the strongest, most evenly spaced main stems from the resulting growth to form the new framework, and cut out the rest. Some plants from pruning group 1 need only minimal pruning; these include slow-growing shrubs with an intricate, ornamental branch structure whose appearance is easily spoiled by cutting back.

Some old or overgrown shrubs - such as those that produce new shoots from the base or from old wood - may be rejuvenated by hard pruning. Renovate deciduous shrubs after flowering or when dormant in January, and evergreen shrubs in mid-Spring. Cut back up to one-third of the oldest stems close to the base. Of those that remain, cut out the weak or dead wood, then rubbing, crossing or congested stems and finally shorten the oldest by half to strong buds. Repeat the following year, cutting back the remaining old main stems.

For pruning of plants after their first year from planting in your garden; begin by removing dead, damaged or diseased wood, and then crossing shoots. If the 'normal' branch is horizontal, then cut out the vertical crossing branch. If the 'normal branch is vertical, then cut out the horizontal crossing branch. Remember to see whether the crossing branch you take out will affect the overall shape of the plant less than the other one - to make sure that you do not destroy the 'normal' shape of the plant. Then follow the respective pruning action for the Pruning Group for that plant in the following table:-

Pruning Group Number

Type of Plant

Pruning Action

When

1. e.g. Acer palmatum

Evergreen and deciduous trees/shrubs that flower on previous or current year's growth and need minimal pruning

Remove crossing shoots to maintain framework.

In late winter or early Spring, when dormant; some in late summer or early autumn to prevent sap bleeding.

2. e.g. Forsythia

Deciduous Shrubs that flower in Spring or early Summer on previous year's growth

Cut back flowered shoots to strong buds or young lower or basal growth. On established plants, cut back about 1/4 of old shoots to the base, to promote replacement growth.

Annually, after flowering.

3. e.g. Kerria

Deciduous shrubs that flower in Spring or early Summer on previous year's growth, and produce new growth at or near ground level.

Cut back flowered shoots to young sideshoots or to strong buds low down on branch framework, to encourage new growth.

Annually, after flowering

4. e.g. Hydrangea macrophylla

Deciduous shrubs that flower in mid to late Summer or Autumn on previous year's growth.

Trim off last season's flowerheads to the first bud beneath each flowerhead. With established plants, cut back about 1/4 of old shoots to the base, to promote replacement growth.

Annually, from early to mid-Spring.

5. e.g. Prunus triloba

Deciduous shrubs that flower between late Winter and early Spring on previous year's growth.

Cut back all stems to strong buds or to developing shoots close to the base of the plant, to promote replacement growth.

Annually, after flowering

6. e.g. Buddleja davidii

Deciduous shrubs that flower in mid to late Summer or Autumn on current year's growth.

Cut back to low permanent framework. For Sub-Shrubs, and for drastic renovation, cut back all flowered stems close to the base.

Annually, as buds begin to swell in early spring.

7. e.g. Cornus alba

Deciduous trees and shrubs that, when pruned hard, produce colourful winter stems, or large or brightly hued foliage, as ornamental features. Plants that flower on previous year's wood do not bloom if pruned this way.

Cut back all stems to within 2 or 3 buds of the base, or to the permanent framework. Feed or apply well-rotted farmyard manure, and mulch to compensate for loss of wood.

Annually, in early Spring.

8. e.g. Camellia, Rhododendron

Evergreen shrubs that flower between Winter and early Summer on previous or current year's growth, and need minimal pruning.

Trim or lightly cut back shoots that spoil symmetry. Dead-head regularly if practical (unless fruit is required).

Annually, after flowering. Remove dead and damaged growth in mid-Spring.

9. e.g. Eucryphia

Evergreen shrubs that flower between mid-Summer and late Autumn on previous or current year's growth, or that bear insignificant flowers, and that need minimal pruning.

Trim or lightly cut back shoots that spoil symmetry. Shrubs grown for foliage often tolerate harder pruning. Dead-head regularly if practical (unless fruit is required).

Annually, or as necessary, from mid to late Spring.

10. e.g. Calluna, Erica, Lavandula

Evergreen shrubs that flower on previous year's growth in Spring or early Summer, or on current year's growth in late Summer or Autumn. (Tree heathers require only minimal pruning).

Cut back flowered shoots to within 1" (2.5cm) of previous year's growth.

Annually:

• after flowering, if flowering on previous year's growth.
• in early or mid-Spring, if flowering on current year's growth.

11. e.g. Akebia, Clematis montana

Vigorous, deciduous and evergreen climbers that flower on previous or current year's growth, and need no regular pruning.

Trim to fit available space; carry out renovation pruning as needed

Annually, or as needed:

• after flowering, if flowering on previous year's growth.
• in late Winter or early Spring, if flowering on current year's growth.

12. e.g. Solanum crispum

Less vigourous, deciduous and evergreen climbers that flower on previous or current year's growth.

"Spur prune" by cutting back side-shoots to within 4 buds of it's main stem. Thin out overcrowded shoots by unravelling every branch onto the ground. Then, retie the main branches to its support - this could be chainlink fencing from 24 to 60 inches (60-150 cms) with twine not with plastic, metal or rubber. Then starting at the base, inspect each sub-branch and tie it to the climber support. Then tie the next one if there is room; if not cut it back to within 4 buds of its connection to its parent branch. And carry on up that sub-branch, until all its sub-branches have been dealt with. Then repeat the process on the next main branch system, until all the branch structure has been retied. You will end up with a lot more flowers and a better looking climber. This complete process may well need to be done every 2 or 3 years, so that you do not end up with a thick mass of twigs and a leafy climber on the outside after 4 to 5 years.

Annually:

• after flowering, if flowering on previous year's growth.
• in late Winter or early Spring, if flowering on current year's growth.

13. e.g. Ceanothus

Wall trained, deciduous and evergreen shrubs that flower on previous or current year's growth.

Cut back flowered shoots to within 4 buds of permanent framework. Trim outward-facing shoots and those growing towards the wall.

Annually:

• after flowering, if flowering on previous year's growth.
• in late Winter or early Spring, if flowering on current year's growth.

14. e.g.

Herbaceous perennials.

Apply top dressing of bone meal.

The plants produce vigorous shoots. When the plant is one-third of its final height, pinch out the weak shoots.

Cut shoots down to the base, and remove dead and faded growth and weeds. Divide perennials every 4 years to maintain vigour and replant the divided portions elsewhere in the garden. To appreciate grasses and other plants during the Winter, delay cutting and mulching until early Spring. Apply a 4 inch deep mulch of organic matter such as Spent Mushroom Compost or Bark.

Apply bone meal in early Spring after rain.

Each Spring

Every Autumn

15. e.g.

Ferns

Remove old fronds. Divide every 4 years to maintain vigour. Apply top dressing of bone meal and apply a 4 inch deep mulch of organic matter such as Spent Mushroom Compost or Bark.

Each Spring

16. e.g.

Evergreen perennials

Apply top dressing of bone meal.

Remove dead and faded growth and weeds. Divide perennials every 4 years to maintain vigour and replant the divided portions elsewhere in the garden. To appreciate grasses and other plants during the Winter, delay cutting and mulching until early Spring. Apply a 4 inch deep mulch of organic matter such as Spent Mushroom Compost or Bark.

Apply bone meal in early Spring after rain.
Every Autumn

17. e.g. Bamboo

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY PLANTING TREES TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, UNLESS YOU WANT AN IMPENETRABLE CONTINUOUS HEDGE

• "How Much Room Should I Allow?
  With all these considerations, when you are looking for trees to plant, look at the final sizes listed for them and then get out into the garden with a measure, to see how much room you really have, considering all the things we have talked about here. Look at the places you were thinking of planting and consider the following distances.
  To protect foundations, sewers and drains, allow the following spacings:
  • Small trees, such as flowering dogwoods, magnolia, or smaller conifers – allow 10 feet.
    • Medium-sized trees, such as fruit trees, birch trees, or larger Japanese maple – allow 20 feet
    • Large-trees, like sugar maple, oaks, Gingko, or flowering pear – allow 30 to 50 feet
    • Large, aggressive trees like poplars, silver maple or willows – allow 100 feet
• Distance From Buildings and Other Trees
  There are other factors worth considering when planting near your home, besides protecting foundations. First there is visual scale. A typical two-story home, with a pitched roof is 20 to 25 feet tall. Many trees, evergreen or deciduous, will grow 60 to 80 feet tall, and right alongside your home that is going to look pretty silly. Besides that, overhanging branches can break, causing roof damage, or if the whole tree comes down in a storm it will demolish most of your home. Far better to plant trees that grow no more than 40 feet tall within a 20 feet radius around your home. Keep those larger trees further away, where you can see and admire their beauty, without any risk.
  Consider too the width of the tree. As a rule of thumb, if you half the width listed for a mature tree, that should be the minimum distance away from the house – even then the branches will in time touch the windows. So a better rule would be two-thirds of the listed width. That is also a good rule for spacing trees apart, if you want them to retain their individual identity. Trees planted close together make a nice forest, but that may not be the garden style you had in mind!"
• View these pages for further details -
  Without replacing Soil Nutrients, the soil will break up to only clay, sand or silt ,
  Subsidence caused by water in Clay and
  Use water ring for trees/shrubs for first 2 years.
  
   

Outside the shop of Gillingham Street Angels in Chatham, Medway Council has installed a new tree in a 2 x 2 metre area with stakes. Photo taken on 30 june 2023 by C. Garnons-Williams.

Some material was placed in that 2 x 2 metre area after the tree was planted and then a wacker plate was used to vibrate that material down at 3.2 metres per second with 520 Kg per square metre pressure right up to the trunk of the new tree. Any tree roots under that would have been crushed by that vibrating 1146 pound pressure, which is more than half a ton.


When planting these trees in the next 2 years, try not to kill every one.
Soil for plants must have air in it for the roots to use to go places; so do not use waker plates to kill them off. I hope that this process of hammering down the earth for each of the new tree roots in Medway will not be repeated to waste the £125,000 funded by the Forestry Commission's Urban Tree Challenge Fund with its matched funding of £125,000 from Medway Council and the £115,000 from the Local Authority Tree Fund over the next 2 years from 2 December 2022.

WHY IS THERE NO MEMBER OF THE MEDWAY STAFF OR ITS HIRED CONTRACTORS WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT PLANTS AND WHO ALLOWS THIS, AND
THE NEGLECT OF THE OTHER TREES IN THE CHATHAM HIGH STREET THAT ARE NOW BEING CUT DOWN DUE TO NEGLECT IN ALLOWING THE PROTECTIVE METAL STRUCTURES ROUND THEM TO BE GROWN INTO BY THOSE TREES WHICH THEN KILLS THE TREES?

Unfortunately the material that was pressured down was not soil, because on Thursday 25 May 2023, I saw that tarmac had been laid on top of that material in the 2 x 2 metre area right up to the trunk of the new tree.
Did you know that is also what Guernsey did in September 2019?
This stops water etc as detailed in point 10 below from interacting with the crushed roots of that tree, so that the

• Forestry Commission,
• Medway population who are funding this £125,000 matched funding and
• the Local Authority Tree Fund
  will be very grateful to Medway Council in wasting their funds by planting trees and then proceeding to kill them.
  
  
  This copy of point 7 comes from the Home page:-
  7. 166 trees in the pavements in a short section of a road in Funchal, Madeira are being slowly, starved, dehydrated, asphyxiated, poisoned by tarmac and concrete, burnt inside their hollow trunks, roots pounded by 40 ton lorries or shoes of pedestrians, and allowed to rot until killed off during February 2019 (see information in Problems with trees in pavements in Funchal, Madeira in January/February 2018 Page, which appears to have had no effect) as shown by my 433 photos in the following pages:-
  • Death of tree roots and
    • Death of tree trunks/branches caused by people.
    • Solution to problems for trees caused by people using irrigation -
      Growth of Pollarded Tree in Hotel Garden in 1 year provides a water solution to this destruction.
    • Damage to Tree Trunks 1, 2, 3, 4 caused by people,
    • Damage to Tree Roots caused by people,
    • Area of Open Ground round trees,
    • New Trees in pavements 1, 2,
    • Irrigation of current trees,
    • Watersprouts on trees,
    • Crossing Branches in trees,
    • Utility Equipment with tree Foliage,
    • Lights on trees,
    • Bycycle Lane in Pavement,
    • Public Gardens alongside pavements,
    • Hotel/Private Gardens alongside pavements,
    • Current Permeable Pavement Surface round trees and
    • Irrigation and Fertilising of trees. "Understanding Fern Needs
      Ferns have the same basic growing requirements as other plants and will thrive when these are met. There is nothing mysterious about the requirements - they are not something known only to people with green thumbs - but the best gardeners are those who understand plant requirements and are careful about satisfying them.
      What, then, does a fern need?
    • All plants need water. Water in the soil prevents roots from drying, and all mineral nutrients taken up by the roots must be dissolved in the soil water. Besides water in the soil, most plants need water in the air. Adequate humidity keeps the plant from drying out. Leaves need water for photosynthesis and to keep from wilting.
    • All green plants need light to manufacture food (sugars) by photosynthesis. Some plants need more light than others, and some can flourish in sun or shade. Most ferns, however, prefer some amount of shade.
    • For photosynthesis, plants require carbon dioxide, a gas that is exhaled by animals as waste. Carbon dioxide diffuses into plants through tiny pores, called stomata, that abound on the lower surface of the leaves. In the leaf, carbon dioxide is combined with the hydrogen from water to form carbohydrates, the plant's food. This process takes place only in the presence of light and chlorophyll, a green pigment found in plant cells. To enhance growth, some commercial growers increase the carbon dioxide level in their greenhouses to 600ppm (parts per million), or twice the amount typically found in the air.
    • Plants need oxygen. The green plants of a plant do not require much oxygen from the air because plants produce more oxygen by photosynthesis than they use. The excess oxygen liberated from the plants is used by all animals, including humans. What do plants do with oxygen? They use it just as we do, to release the energy stored in food. We use energy to move about, to talk, to grow, to think - in fact, for all our life processes. Although plants don't talk or move much, they do grow and metabolize and must carry on all their life processes using oxygen to release the stored energy in their food.
    • Roots need air all the time. They get it from the air spaces between the soil particles. Overwatering displaces the air between soil particles with water, thereby removing the oxygen needed by the roots. This reduces the root's ability to absorb mineral nutrients and can foster root-rot. These gases need free access to the roots:-
    • Nitrogen Cycle -
      Nitrogen is the most commonly limiting nutrient in plants. Legumes use nitrogen fixing bacteria, specifically symbiotic rhizobia bacteria, within their root nodules to counter the limitation. Rhizobia bacteria fix nitrogen which is then converted to ammonia. Ammonia is then assimilated into nucleotides, Amino Acids, vitamins and flavones which are essential to the growth of the plant. The plant root cells convert sugar into organic acids which then supply to the rhizobia in exchange, hence a symbiotic relationship between rhizobia and the legumes.
    • Oxygen Cycle -
      No nutrient absorption occurs at the root zone unless oxygen is present.
    • Carbon Dioxide -
      Plant roots uptake carbon dioxide to provide carbon for parts of the foliage.
    • Plants need minerals to grow properly. The minerals are mined from the soil by the plant's root system. If a certain mineral is missing, such as calcium needed for developing cell walls, then the plant will be stunted, discoloured, or deformed.
    • Some plants tolerate a wide range of temperatures, whereas others are fussy. If the temperature is too high or low, the machinery of the plant will not operate satisfactorily or will cease entirely.
    • The basic needs of plants are not hard to supply, but growing success depends on attending to these needs with care and exactitude. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of these requirements, with the exception of mineral needs, which are discussed in Chapter 5."
    • You can see further damage done to trees in pavements in Madeira in these pages:-
      Pavements of Funchal, Madeira
      Damage to Trees - Pages
      1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
      6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
      11, 12, 13
      for trees 1-54,
      14, 15,
      16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
      21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
      for trees 55-95,
      26, 27, 28, 29, 30,
      31, 32, 33, 34, 35,
      36, 37,
      for trees 95-133,
      38, 39, 40,
      41, 42, 43, 44, 45,
      for trees 133-166
      
      
      
      Let us repeat point 10:-
      10. Since I was adding to the 97 out 706 ferns to the Fern Gallery, I thought you might be interested in the following to explain why the current treatment of growing plants in pavements in Madeira is lacking in care:-
      
      This row gives a very clear overall description of the
      Cultural Needs of Plants
      from Chapter 4 in Fern Grower's Manual by Barbara Joe Hoshizaki & Robbin C. Moran. Revised and Expanded Edition. Published in 2001 by Timber Press, Inc. Reprinted 2002, 2006. ISBN-13:978-0-88192-495-4.

By the bus stop for the 145 after the George Pub on City Way, Rochester, there is a mature tree killed by honey fungus. A few yards away, there is a new building being built with a great deal of heavy steelwork. The lorries bringing that steel do not put down supporting trackways and so the pavement had 2 deep indentations in it. The roots of this mature tree were in that area and would have been broken by this and that is where the honey fungus got in. Having infected that tree and killed it off, the fungus went up about 20 yards to a pollarded tree that had been knocked to a 45 degree angle by a heavy duty motor vehicle and infected that as well. When Medway Council sent repairers to relay the pavement tarmac, I informed them about the trees. The dead trees have not been removed and so that honey fungus will continue up and down City Way on the grass and tree verge between the road and the tarmac pavement, and into the gardens along that side.

Like the new trees that had died of disease in a car park of a new Aldi store in Gillingham, nothing was done about them by Medway Council for about a year, while Aldi continued to sell garden trees from the same car park area.

Perhaps it might make sense if all the trees under the protection of Medway Council were identified, put onto a map and their details held in a database and what happens to each in each year. Then have a department to look after them on a continuing basis. Unfortunately Medway trees are only dealt with when they have died or in the case of trees in Chatham High Street where the trunk has exceeded the space within the metal fence surrounding it and the metal has entered the trunk - once a circle of metal has gone into the trunk then the 1 cell thick cambium layer has been breached and everything above it dies. Because nobody has stopped this from happenning, good mature trees have been killed off by neglect due to no maintenance staff.

This section of a table was copied from
Ivydene Gardens Flower Shape and Use in Landscape for all Wildflower and Cultivated Plants in this Website Gallery
 

This table does have the links attached to its cell text content, because of memory,
they are in Tables 2 and 3 within TABLE B (the fifth in the row) of
Evergreen Perennial Shape Gallery Map Page
 

These 2 systems of comparison:-

The Evergreen Perennials have

• Plant Description Pages
• their flower colour compared in a 7 Flower Colour per month Gallery
• their Flower Shape compared in a Gallery, and
• their Plant Use compared in another Gallery

Every Plant detailed in this website has

• Plant Description Pages or row in a table
• their flower colour compared in a 7 Flower Colour per month Gallery
• their Flower Shape compared in a Gallery, and
• their plant Use compared in another Gallery

are detailed in the TABLE A on the right

PLANT USE AND FLOWER SHAPE GALLERY PAGES
compares the use and flower shape of plants in this website
- WHICH ARE THOSE PLANTS FROM OTHER GALLERIES BESIDES THE WILDFLOWER SHAPE GALLERY -
 

combined with those already compared in
Bedding,
Bulb,
Evergreen Perennial,
Herbaceous Perennial and
Roses
pages as linked to in row

Topic - Use of Plant in your Plant Selection Process
in the TOPIC table - on the extreme left - at the end of this page with

Tip Colour background as shown in the cell above.