Growing Fruit Trees on Your Flower Farm: The Why
Naomi Slade, author of An Orchard Odyssey, published by Green Books, gives us a beautiful perspective on the magnificent orchards where we get our apples, oranges, peaches, and more. Continue reading to hear why she fell in love with fruit trees, what changes she’s seen in the growers’ culture regarding orchards, and why adding fruit trees to your flower farm would be the perfect addition for each season.
“Whether the orchard or potential orchard is in a domestic setting or in a space shared by the community, it can—must—be about more than productive growing. Flowers and birds; elegant planters; lighting, seating and time spent thinking about the journey through the orchard and the vistas that emerge, all make an impact on our experience of the space.”
What experiences influenced your love and admiration of orchards?
I have always felt a connection with orchards and tree fruit. When I was a young child, we would visit my grandmother in the countryside, and I’d see apples on the trees—once I saw a barn owl in the orchard which was amazing. At home, my father would get me to climb the cherry tree and pick the fruit and my maternal grandfather would turn up with big trays of plums, which we children would devour.
It’s just something that has always been there—a love and enjoyment, and a sense of ownership and appreciation. And it was not just at home; I would visit a mulberry tree in a park near where we lived and, if you look closely, the landscape is full of fruit and blossom, wherever people have been.
I find orchards incredibly beautiful, whether its the diverse flavours of different varieties, or that lovely, damp smell of leaf-mould and ripe apples at picking time. And as the trees age they grow gorgeously sculptural, so you can cut lichen-covered twigs in winter and sprays of blossom in spring—orchards are fantastic all year round!
Why write a book about orchards? What message do you hope to convey through your writing?
My book, An Orchard Odyssey, is about journeys—the journey of the original apples from the mountains of Kazakhstan into Europe and then on to America. It’s also about my personal journey, in which I see and enjoy fruit trees as part of the landscape wherever I go. And the book aims to encourage people to embark on their own fruit journey.
It concerns me that, with such a rich cultural heritage, people can feel disconnected from orchards and from fruit trees. And I want to reposition the concept as something that can be relevant and possible, no matter how much time and space you have—or your level of experience.
My book is not really a “how to” gardening book, it is more a romp through the history of tree fruit and an overview of what it means to society—taking in lots of really cool ways in which people are incorporating the trees, flowers, and fruit into productive and ornamental gardens. The hope is that it will inspire people to go out and find more about their own fruit and their own landscape, wherever in the world they might be.
How have you seen a perspective shift in the general view of orchards over the years?
When I was younger, and even quite recently, I felt that people didn’t seem to have any sense of confidence, love, or connection to fruit trees—even in identifying what is quite clearly edible fruit growing on a fruit tree. At best, it was a nostalgia for orchards lost. But things have changed enormously.
Certainly in the UK, growing fruit and vegetables at home has had a huge resurgence. And across the world there are lots of groups and organisations which are dedicated to restoring old orchards and planting community gardens and new-style orchards. People are really pushing the ideas out there, celebrating local varieties and the interesting heritage and customs that exist—and of course exploring the potential for local and sustainable sources of food.
As you were writing, did you discover any new-to-you facts or joys that you’d like to share?
The great thing about this sort of project is that every day you discover something new, or a new way of doing things. One of the most exciting things I found out about was that the conservation definition of an orchard in the UK is ‘Five trees with crown edges not more than 20m apart,’ and although this is originally intended to apply to old orchards with a view to their restoration, it makes it the idea of an orchard very achievable for the average person.
I also enjoyed exploring fruit-growing histories from around the world, such as how apples got to Australia with Captain Bligh on The Bounty, and reading about folk heroes like Johnny Appleseed in the US.
How would you encourage someone who is thinking about adding fruit trees to their flower farm?
Fruit trees have so much to offer the flower grower, both on a small and large scale. They are so ornamental and incredibly adaptable in both floral and garden design.
First, there are the beautiful flowers, which can range from white to rich pink and are a fabulous when used in a spring arrangement with tulips and late daffodils. There is something so romantic, almost poetic, about apple blossom that makes it perfect to use for spring weddings and christenings.
Then there is the fruit itself—smaller varieties and crab apples are particularly good, some are really long-lasting and brightly coloured and can stay on the tree for months, brilliant for cutting for winter wreaths and decorations. And the twigs tend to be shapely too, so they provide good height and structure.
And of course fruit trees are great for wildlife; pollinators love the flowers, while birds and butterflies feed on the fruit as it starts to soften. And each tree contributes to a healthy ecosystem that will benefit the other plants and flowers too. For example, they provide overwintering places for the ladybirds and other insect predators that will munch up the aphids and other pests in the flower patch.
“Designing with Fruit Trees
Fruit trees are highly adaptable in a garden design. Choose the right varieties and you can achieve an almost continuous show that starts with spring blossom, goes on to late-summer fruit and autumn colour, and then contributes structure to carry the display right through the winter.
There are peach trees with deep red leaves. In a good year, apples will produce clouds of blossom to rival the cherries in Tokyo. And if there is a corner that is crying out for spring blossom or autumn fireworks, but edible fruit is not a consideration, there is no shame in installing a crab apple such as Malus tschonoskii, with its firecracker hues, or M. ‘Royal Beauty’ (AGM), with dark pink flowers. The bees will still value it, and it will act as a good pollination partner for other trees in the neighbourhood.
Standard trees trained into pyramids or goblets can act as punctuation points within the design, injecting both height and energy, while free-standing espaliers or a colonnade of containers can create a see-through barrier that breaks a garden up into rooms or zones. (See Chapter 7 for details of trained fruit-tree forms.)
In diminutive gardens, small or narrow forms, either free-standing or in containers, can illuminate the space and add an all-important vertical dimension. Fruit trees also lend themselves to both formal and naturalistic treatments. In fact, it is quite unusual to see a garden fruit tree acting in a single design role—and those roles may have little, if anything, to do with the actual fruit.”
