Knowledge Base

“Well-drained but moisture retentive soil, sheltered position in full sun”. The Shangri-La of gardening. A mythical utopia where any plant will flourish. How many times have we read about a fruit t … read more

Types: Sweet, Acid, Duke, Mazzard:Acid cherries are the fruit of Prunus cerasus - thought to be a naturally occurring hybrid between two other Prunus species, which has then been selected and bred f … read more

In this third and final part of our beginner’s guide to growing fruit, I’m going to look at probably the easiest and most rewarding selection of plants -soft fruit. Currants and berries are where m … read more

In Part One of our guide, we looked at some of the general considerations of choosing apple varieties, along with a few favourite eaters. Time to widen the net and offer up some more suggestions … read more

Choosing a new apple tree can be a daunting experience. There are just so many to choose from! There are over 2000 varieties in the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale in Kent, and whilst many of … read more

Without doubt, pruning fruit trees is the most common area people struggle with when growing fruit trees. Pollination, however, comes a very close second. I think it is because there is a little sci … read more

Time for something a little more unusual. It’s always good to occasionally step out of our comfort zone, and try and push the boundaries of what we think possible. Sure, there may be failures along … read more

Maiden:A one year old tree - normally a straight stick approx. 90-100cm tall. This is the basic building block, suitable for growing on into a wide range of shapes and sizes (depending on the rootstoc … read more

Damsons, and their close relative, the little known bullace, are a godsend to the gardener who wants to grow fruit in an unfavourable location. Live in a cold area - no problem, these trees are bone … read more

Browse through our website and there is a bewildering choice on offer. There are over 5,000 named varieties of apple recorded in the UK, and although the vast majority are not available commercially … read more

If you were asked to name 5 varieties of cooking apple, the chances are that you would come up with ‘Bramley’ straight away... and then possibly struggle. However if you asked the same question a hu … read more

For many of us who strive to ‘grow our own’, the beauty of a plant often takes a back seat to usefulness. We care less about what a tree looks like, instead obsessing over flavour, cooking qualities … read more

In the first part – Beginner's Guide - Part 1 - we looked at how or choose the right fruit for you, and also had a look at pollination groups. Now we delve a little deeper into the knowledge yo … read more

For many people, their working life has been substantially altered in the past few years and the large increase in people working from home has led to many reconnecting with their gardens and outsi … read more

This summer has been a scorcher. Every day seems to be picture postcard weather, sun streaming down from endless blue skies. Fantastic news if you own a deckchair franchise at Bridlington, perhaps, … read more

Blackcurrants are a quintessential part of any soft fruit garden. My favourite time on the nursery is in the last weeks of June and early July when the potted blackcurrant bushes are smothered with … read more