Trees

Malus domestica ‘Red Falstaff’ is a late-season, heavy-cropping dessert apple with lovely, pinkish white flowers blooming in April and May, and abundance of delicious, very balanced, crisp and juicy, orange-red apples, ready for harvesting in October. Apples can be stored throughout the winter. Malus domestica ‘Red Falstaff’ likes deep, fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Very acidic and chalk soils should be avoided. It thrives in full sun. It is very resistant to frost and tolerant of wind, but needs to be sheltered form harsh winter winds. Suitable for colder climates. It is self-fertile and an excellent pollinator for other varieties. It has a good disease resistance. Some pruning and fruit thinning may be required. Apple 'Red Falstaff' is an excellent dessert apple, a reliable and heavy cropper, perfect for informal, cottage, and urban gardens. Suitable for growing in containers. Very tasty when eaten fresh, but also great when used for culinary purposes.

M27 is an ultra-dwarfing rootstock for apple trees, resulting in trees that reach only 6-8 feet in height. Ideal for small gardens or container planting, M27 enables high-density orchards and easy harvesting. It induces early fruiting, often within 2-3 years of planting. Good soil preparation and staking are essential, as it offers limited vigor and anchorage. Regular watering and fertilizing are crucial for healthy growth.

The Damson Shropshire Prune tree is a traditional English variety, highly prized for its fruit, which is small, dark purple, and rich in flavor. This damson variety has a long history in the UK, especially in the county of Shropshire, where it has been cultivated for centuries. The tree itself is relatively compact and hardy, making it well-suited to a range of growing conditions, including colder climates. It thrives in well-drained soils, preferring sunny locations, though it can tolerate partial shade.

The Shropshire Prune tree typically grows to a medium size, reaching heights of 12 to 20 feet (3.5 to 6 meters) with a somewhat spreading habit. Its leaves are small, oval, and dark green, while its branches are sturdy and capable of supporting a heavy crop. In the spring, it produces a profusion of small white blossoms, which are not only attractive but also help in attracting pollinators like bees.

The damson fruit itself is smaller than plums, with a dark, almost black, skin and a distinctive blueish bloom. The flesh is yellowish-green and has a tart, yet richly sweet flavor when fully ripe, making it ideal for preserves, jams, and cooking. The Shropshire Prune is particularly known for its high pectin content, which makes it excellent for setting jams and jellies.

While fresh damsons can be somewhat tart, they are commonly used in culinary applications such as pies, chutneys, and especially for making damson gin or wine. They ripen from late August to October.

Overall, the Shropshire Prune Damson tree is a robust, low-maintenance tree that produces a highly versatile and flavorful fruit, valued both for its historical significance and culinary uses.

The Damson Fairleigh on Myrobalan rootstock is a distinctive fruit tree that produces uniquely flavorful damsons, a specialized variety of plum. This variety is renowned for its small, yet richly flavoured fruits, which are typically used in jams, jellies, baking, and also enjoyable when consumed fresh. The Myrobalan rootstock imparts semi-dwarfing characteristics to the tree, enabling it to maintain a manageable size, making it highly suitable for smaller garden spaces and allowing for easier harvesting and maintenance.

The St. Julian rootstock is known for its hardiness and adaptability to various soil types, enhancing the tree's overall resilience and productivity. This ensures a substantial and consistent yield of damsons year after year, much to the delight of home gardeners and professional orchardists alike. The fruits exhibit a deep, dark purple hue and have a delicious, sweet-tart flavor profile that is more intense and nuanced than that of common plums.

This combination of Fairleigh damson and Myrobalan rootstock is a symbiosis of taste and convenience. It enables gardening enthusiasts to experience the joy of growing and harvesting their fruits, even in limited spaces, while also enjoying the diverse culinary applications of this distinctive fruit variety. The manageable size and versatility of this tree, coupled with the distinctive and highly sought-after flavor of its fruits, make it a valuable addition to diverse landscapes and gardens.

Myrobalan is a semi-vigorous, versatile option for damson trees, providing a medium-sized, hardy base. It’s ideal for domestic gardens, yielding relatively early, generous fruit harvests. It’s resilient to various soil types and conditions, promoting healthy growth and longevity for damson trees.

The Gage Old Greengage on Myrobalan rootstock is a distinguished fruit tree revered for its production of exquisite, sweet, and flavourful plums. This tree, when paired with Myrobalan rootstock, exhibits admirable hardiness and disease resistance, making it an enduring favorite amongst gardeners and orchard owners. Myrobalan rootstock is notably conducive to moderate growth, rendering the tree suitable for gardens with limited space.

Old Greengage is prized for its delicious greenish-yellow fruits that have been a staple in gardens for centuries. The fruits are known for their rich, honeyed flavor and smooth texture, making them a preferred variety for fresh consumption and culinary uses, like jams, jellies, and baked goods. The tree blooms with delicate, white flowers in spring, setting the stage for a bountiful harvest in late summer.

The symbiotic relation between the Old Greengage and the Myrobalan rootstock not only ensures a reliable yield but also increases the tree’s adaptability to different soil types, improving its chances to thrive in various environments. This combination of delectable fruits and robust growth makes the Gage Old Greengage on Myrobalan rootstock a cherished option for those seeking to cultivate quality plums with less hassle.

Despite its myriad of advantages, the cultivation of Old Greengage requires meticulous attention to watering, pruning, and pest control to maintain optimal health and achieve abundant, high-quality fruit production. This union of storied fruit variety and sturdy rootstock remains a symbol of horticultural excellence and tradition in fruit cultivation.

St. Julian rootstock is a semi-vigorous rootstock for gage trees, providing medium-sized trees, making it suitable for small gardens. It's widely used for its compatibility and adaptability, promoting good productivity and longevity. It's partially self-fertile and moderately resistant to diseases and pests. Ideal for plum and gage.

Malus domestica ‘Red Falstaff’ is a late-season, heavy-cropping dessert apple with lovely, pinkish white flowers blooming in April and May, and abundance of delicious, very balanced, crisp and juicy, orange-red apples, ready for harvesting in October. Apples can be stored throughout the winter. Malus domestica ‘Red Falstaff’ likes deep, fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Very acidic and chalk soils should be avoided. It thrives in full sun. It is very resistant to frost and tolerant of wind, but needs to be sheltered form harsh winter winds. Suitable for colder climates. It is self-fertile and an excellent pollinator for other varieties. It has a good disease resistance. Some pruning and fruit thinning may be required. Apple 'Red Falstaff' is an excellent dessert apple, a reliable and heavy cropper, perfect for informal, cottage, and urban gardens. Suitable for growing in containers. Very tasty when eaten fresh, but also great when used for culinary purposes.

Root stock MM106 is a semi-dwarfing rootstock commonly used for apple trees. It offers a moderate growth rate, producing trees 10-15 feet tall when mature. Suitable for medium-sized gardens, MM106 ensures good fruit yield and adaptability to various soils. It's resistant to woolly apple aphid and moderately resistant to crown rot. Ideal for bush, cordons, and espalier forms. Ensure proper staking in early years.

The Betula pendula 'Golden Obelisk' is a striking variety of the silver birch tree, prized for its elegant, columnar shape and vibrant foliage. A deciduous tree, it typically reaches heights of around 4-6 metres, with a narrow, upright growth habit, making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens, urban spaces, or as a vertical accent in larger landscapes.

One of the standout features of the 'Golden Obelisk' is its stunning foliage. In spring, the leaves emerge a bright yellow-green, gradually maturing into a rich, golden-yellow during the summer. This golden hue adds a warm and striking contrast to the garden. In autumn, the leaves turn a more subdued yellow before falling, marking the change of seasons in a striking way. The bark is also characteristic of the Betula genus, with the familiar white, peeling bark adding winter interest and texture to the landscape.

Betula pendula 'Golden Obelisk' is hardy and thrives in a variety of soil types, although it prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. Its tolerance for urban pollution and cold weather makes it well-suited for a wide range of environments in the UK. It also supports biodiversity, providing a habitat for insects and birds.

This low-maintenance tree requires minimal pruning, typically only to remove dead or damaged branches. Its graceful form makes it ideal for planting in tight spaces where a more expansive tree might be unsuitable, and its vibrant foliage can provide year-round interest in gardens, courtyards, or along avenues.

Overall, the Betula pendula 'Golden Obelisk' is a versatile and visually appealing tree, perfect for adding structure, colour, and texture to any garden or landscape.

Cotoneaster x watereri, often referred to as Waterer's Cotoneaster, is a popular and versatile shrub that has become a cherished addition to many gardens and landscapes in the United Kingdom. This deciduous hybrid shrub is renowned for its attractive appearance, hardiness, and adaptability.

One of the standout features of Cotoneaster x watereri is its elegant form and foliage. It typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 meters, forming a dense and arching habit. The leaves are small, oval-shaped, and glossy green, providing a lush backdrop to its other ornamental features.

One of the most captivating aspects of this shrub is its profusion of flowers and berries. In late spring and early summer, Cotoneaster x watereri bursts into a display of delicate white or pale pink blossoms. These small, star-shaped flowers attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, contributing to local biodiversity.

As summer progresses into autumn, the shrub transitions into another phase of beauty. It produces an abundance of small, round, and brightly colored berries, typically red or orange. These berries not only add visual interest but also serve as a valuable food source for birds during the colder months, enhancing its ecological significance.

Cotoneaster x watereri is known for its adaptability to various growing conditions. It thrives in well-drained soil and can tolerate both full sun and partial shade, making it a versatile choice for different garden settings. It is also remarkably hardy and resistant to many common pests and diseases, reducing the need for intensive maintenance.

Maintenance for this shrub is generally straightforward. Pruning can be done to shape the plant or remove dead or diseased branches, but it is often not required. Regular watering during dry spells, especially during its establishment phase, helps ensure its healthy growth.

In conclusion, Cotoneaster x watereri, or Waterer's Cotoneaster, is a cherished shrub in the UK that offers year-round appeal. Its graceful form, glossy foliage, profuse blossoms, and colourful berries make it a versatile and visually pleasing addition to gardens and landscapes. Whether used as a specimen plant, a hedge, or ground cover, this adaptable shrub adds beauty and ecological value to outdoor spaces in the United Kingdom.

Malus 'Gorgeous' is a well-loved decorative crabapple tree cherished for its abundant and vibrant pink blossoms that appear in spring. This deciduous tree's stunning springtime display is a spectacle, as the blooms densely populate the branches, offering a breathtaking view and attracting various pollinators, enhancing local biodiversity. The lavish blossoms eventually give way to glossy, small, red fruit, which persist well into winter, providing a continuous supply of food for birds and wildlife, thus contributing to the ecological balance of the garden landscape.

This variety of crabapple stands out for its overall robustness and resilience, often proving to be disease-resistant, making it a favorable choice among garden enthusiasts and landscape designers. The lush green foliage that accompanies the flowers and fruit adds a contrasting backdrop, enriching the visual appeal of the tree throughout the various seasons.

Malus 'Gorgeous' generally achieves a moderate height and spread, making it suitable for gardens of various sizes, including smaller urban gardens. Its ability to adapt to different soil types and conditions contributes to its popularity. The striking aesthetic value and ecological benefits of Malus 'Gorgeous' make it a quintessential element for creating a lively and colorful landscape, particularly in regions that experience a prominent change in seasons.