Local and regional orchards

Worcestershire, in particular, is famous for its orchards, and it is believed that there are approximately 32 varieties which are deemed to have originated in the county or have a strong connection in some form or another. In the orchards in the Heart of England Forest, whether planting new or re-stocking established ones, we have planted local and regional varieties and many of these have very evocative and unusual names. Additionally, Worcestershire is well known for its plums with the Vale of Evesham having been the epicentre of this enterprise.

Here is a brief taster (excuse the pun!) of some our local Worcestershire apple varieties, as well as a nod towards juicy plums:

Pitmaston Pine Apple
This old English russet apple was raised in Herefordshire c1780, but was associated with the Pitmaston nurseries in Worcester, therefore we can be justified in claiming it as one of our own. The small golden-yellow fruits have a honey sweet yet also sharp flavour with a distinct taste and aroma of pineapple. Personally, I think it has a slightly nutty flavour and it is my favourite apple.

King Coffee
A dessert apple which has the honour of being chosen to grace our orchards by our colleague Stephen Coffey, as it sounds like his surname! This variety was claimed to be an old variety of Worcestershire.

Gladstone
Having grown up in Kidderminster as a child, this came as a pleasant surprise. This apple was introduced in 1868 by a Mr Jackson of Blakedown Nursery, Kidderminster, and was first named Jackson’s Seedling. Subsequently this variety was renamed Mr Gladstone after the Prime Minster.

Worcester Permain
This particular variety has to be the most well-known of the local Worcestershire varieties. It is believed to have originated from the pip of a Devonshire Quarrenden grown by a Mr Hale of Swan Pool, Worcester, and was introduced as a commercial variety by Messers Smith of Worcester in 1874.

Pershore Yellow (Yellow Egg Plum)
Believed to have originated from a chance seedling found in Tyddersley Wood near Pershore around 1871.

Purple Pershore (Martin’s Seedling)
This variety is believed to have been a bud sport of the Pershore Yellow, or possibly a Pershore Yellow cross. It arose around 1877 from a Walter Martin of Drakes Broughton near Pershore and was originally named Martin’s Seedling, later becoming better known as Purple Pershore.

If you are interested in orchards and the variety of fruit trees found within, be they apple, pear, damson, or cherry, or simply because they are a beautiful addition to our landscape providing food for us and a unique and interesting wildlife habitat, please do look at the Worcestershire Orchards website http://www.worcestershireorchards.co.uk/

Additionally, a further mine of information can be found within the publication ‘The Apples and Orchards of Worcestershire’ – A County Pomona, by Wade Muggleton. Both of these have been an extremely useful source of information I wish to acknowledge in producing this brief foray into this delightful subject.

If you can, plant an apple (or any other fruit tree) and look forward to the day when you can harvest a small piece of happiness. The best time to plant a bareroot fruit tree is from late November to March. Here’s some guidance from our Volunteer Manager, Jonathan: