Orchard Diaries - Rivers Nursery Orchard

Fruit of the Month...

Eugene Keddy

Ribston Pippin is a classic late dessert variety which, according to reports, originated at Ribston Hall, Knaresborough, Yorkshire, from seed acquired in Rouen circa 1688. It received an RHS Award of Merit in 1962.

It is a medium-sized, roundish apple with a greenish yellow skin which becomes deep yellow when ripe and is covered in varying amounts of orange brown flush. It also displays distinctive broken red stripes and fruits in full sun are particularly colourful.

Flesh is pale yellow, finely textured, juicy and richly aromatic. It was a great favourite with the Victorians and Robert Hogg (1844) considered Ribston Pippin to be the king of dessert apples. It is picked in early October and its season of use is October to December.

Prince Edward was raised by Rivers, Nursery in Sawbridgeworth in 1897. Its parentage is not clear. It is thought to be a cross between Cox’s Pomona and Cellini. It received an Award of Merit from the RHS in 1897. Prince Edward is a medium-sized, flat round dessert apple. Its greenish ground colour is part-covered by red stripes with some fruits exhibiting an orange flush. Its white flesh is firm, juicy and mildly acidic.
It is picked in early October and will store through to December/January.

There is considerable confusion as to the origins of King of the Pippins. It has 101 synonyms! Before Mr. Kirke of Brompton renamed it in the early part of the 19th century it was probably known as Golden Winter Pearmain. By the end of the 19th century it was acclaimed as one of the best possible dessert varieties. It received the RHS Award of Merit in 1993.

King of the Pippins is a medium-sized, oblong/conical apple. Its skin is greenish yellow, turning to gold, covered with varying amounts of orange red flush and some red stripes. Its flesh is crisp, juicy, sweet yet mildly acidic. It has an unusual aftertaste. Its uses include patisserie and cider-making.

King of the Pippins is picked in early October and will store round to February/March.

Spartan is a mid-season dessert apple which was raised in 1926 by R.C. Palmer at the Dominion Experiment Station, British Columbia. It is a cross between McIntosh and Yellow Newtown Pippin. The original tree produced its first fruit in 1932. Spartan was introduced to market in 1936 and continues to be one of the most successful commercial varieties in Canada. It also enjoys widespread popularity among gardeners and apple enthusiasts.
Spartan is a round-conical apple whose fruits can tend to be small unless they have been thinned out. Its skin is greenish yellow, covered by a three-quarter purplish crimson flush. It wears a very distinctive bloom and the base of the fruit is often lightly streaked with scarf skin. Its flavour is best described as vinous; full of complex tastes. Its white flesh is juicy, crisp, sweet and mildly acidic. Spartan is picked in early October and will store until January/February.

Severn Cross is reported to be a cross between Coe’s Golden Drop and Giant Prune. It was raised in 1921 by G.T. Spinks at Long Ashton Research Station and introduced in 1931. It received the RHS Award of Merit in 1951.
Severn Cross is a large to very large deep golden yellow, oval-shaped plum of very good flavour, flushed with varying amounts of pink and small red dots. Its flesh is soft, pale yellow and very juicy. It clings lightly to its stone. Severn Cross needs careful picking as it tends to bruise easily.
It is an outstanding, reliable heavy cropper which hangs well on the tree. It is picked in September. Good for dessert use and jam-making.

Concorde is a very good garden variety which is a cross between two highly valued pear varieties viz. Conference and Doyenne du Comice. It takes its reliability and heavy-cropping from the Conference side and its really good flavour is inherited from Doyenne du Comice. It has adapted very well to the English climate. It was raised at Horticultural Research International, East Malling and selected in 1977. It is also a successful commercial variety.
Its skin is pale green which turns to yellow as it ripens. Fruits display varying amounts of russeting and some are flushed orange red with wide, indistinct stripes. It tastes juicy, buttery, sweet and is finely-textured. Concorde is picked at the end of September and its season of use is October/November. Its shape is very similar to Conference.

The medlar is one of the more unusual fruit trees at Rivers Orchard Site. It is a very attractive, highly ornamental tree which is native to Europe and Asia Minor. It flowers in late May/early June. The fruit of the medlar is reddish brown and round in shape. The top of the fruit is indented and crowned with a hairy calyx and leafy segments.
Curiously enough, the fruits are inedible at the point of picking (November) and need to be stored for several weeks until they reach an over-ripe, almost decayed condition. In this brown, soft and sweet state, connoisseurs consider them to be delicious and a perfect accompaniment to a glass of port!

Early Rivers cherry is one of the earliest croppers. It is a lovely, heart-shaped, tender-fleshed, glossy black fruit, full of juice and sweet in flavour. Trees produce high quality fruit from mid-June onwards. They seem to thrive even in cold, late spring weather.
According to Bunyard, this delicious cherry was raised by Thomas Rivers from Early Purple Gean and introduced about 1872. It is not self-fertile and will require other pollinators nearby, such as Bigarreau de Schrecken, Waterloo or Merton Glory.
The illustration below is from a beautiful watercolour, circa 1892, by Miss May Rivers, the eldest daughter of Francis Rivers.

Charmaine's Diary

January 2012

The old nursery site footpath is strewn with clumps of grey rabbit fur. The prey and predator are long gone and the scene is peaceful as a Muntjac deer ambles across the path towards the meadow. Over the meadow, the sky reflects colours of gold, pink and slate grey. A flock of Fieldfares, gathered on the meadow’s boundary trees, dart across the meadow towards the nursery site where the sun shining on the trees are highlighted in red and gold. Tiny hard scales on the Pussy Willow branches have split and reveal the furry buds familiar to all.

In the orchard’s meadow under a watery winter’s sun a small flock of Starlings jauntily bustle around squabbling as they stab the grass with their open beaks searching for food. A startled Green Woodpecker rises up from the grass and descends onto the pole in the meadow where it slowly creeps around it and becomes hidden from view. A sudden yelp from the woodpecker and with its distinctive undulating flight it reappears and flies towards the orchard. The Hazel trees in the orchard dangle early catkins and the tiny red female flowers are just visible amongst the branches. Beneath the cherry trees a pair of Jays, are hunting, their colourful plumage a contrast against the dull vegetation.

A hard frost has etched the orchard’s entrance in white. Apple and plum trees glisten as sunshine shafts through their branches. Beneath an early budding apple tree a rabbit lies quivering before it bolts out of its cocoon of long grass. It flees across the orchard, its limbs stretched out and ears flat on its back, flashing its white scut as it hurtles into the hedge and disappears. The grass where it had lain feels warm when touched.

A single ‘tchik’ sound echoes through the early evening sky betraying the presence of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, clinging to a cherry tree. It calls again before flying off into the darkening sky. Above the nursery site a pair of wild geese honk noisily as they pass over en route to their night roost but the Robin has the finale with his evening chorus ringing throughout the site

Charmaine's Diary
December 2011

In the old nursery site amongst the leaf litter a Milkcap fungi lies fallen, exposing its creamy white stem with a pale orange collar and gills beneath its brown cap. The old site rings with the screech of Jay alarm calls. Blackbird and Fieldfare join in along with the intermittent cackle of the Magpie. A rabbit bolts through the undergrowth as, crouching low to the earth, a Fox stealthily creeps along, its brush dusting the leaves, aware that its presence has been betrayed.

Berries consumed and discarded by birds throw up new saplings of Yew amongst the Hawthorn; their bright green needles fresh against the sombre Hawthorn bark. Britain’s only native wild clematis, Traveller’s Joy, tumbles its feathery white seed heads like snowballs over the Hawthorn. The seed cluster resembles a star with each seed emitting a feathered frond or style. Immature catkins dangle from the spindly branches of the white barked Silver Birch tree as the first snowflakes of winter fall. The snow disappears quickly and Chaffinches, Long Tailed Tits, Great Tits and Fieldfares begin to chatter amongst the trees. The Medlar trees bare branches, twisted and tangled, have shed their fruit which now lies rotting amongst the decaying leaves.

Fieldfares flutter and chatter in the orchard’s trees as a flock of raucous Crows pass overhead en route to their night roost and as the sky darkens a gentle rain begins to fall. A grey squirrel leaps across the trees at the orchard’s entrance. It grabs the branch tip which sways and bends under its body. The squirrel’s little claws scrabble as it scrambles up the spindly branch and through the treetops. The meadow’s attractive Beech hedge displays its retained coppery leaves that tremble and rustle in the sharp cold wind. Jays visit the base of the young Oak trees in search of buried acorns. Above the nursery site the wires hum and sing in the wind as the rain falls. Bright red thorny bramble stems spike upwards amongst the tall red stems of Viburnam, which appear to glow warmly under a covering of acid yellow lichen. Above the site,
like a prehistoric bird with its long legs
stretched out behind, pointed beak and
large wings, a Grey Heron is silhouetted
against the darkening sky as it returns
to its roost.

The year draws to a close now, providing an ideal opportunity to reflect on this oasis of peace and wildlife. It is without question that the meadow, old nursery site and historic orchard must be preserved and cherished in order that everyone, present and future, can enjoy what is on offer and that the orchard remains a sanctuary which offers hope for the future health of our countryside and ourselves.

Charmaine's Diary
November 2011

It is anIn the old nursery site amongst the leaf litter a Milkcap fungi lies fallen, exposing its creamy white stem with a pale orange collar and gills beneath its brown cap. The old site rings with the screech of Jay alarm calls. Blackbird and Fieldfare join in along with the intermittent cackle of the Magpie. A rabbit bolts through the undergrowth as, crouching low to the earth, a Fox stealthily creeps along, its brush dusting the leaves, aware that its presence has been betrayed.

Berries consumed and discarded by birds throw up new saplings of Yew amongst the Hawthorn; their bright green needles fresh against the sombre Hawthorn bark. Britain’s only native wild clematis, Traveller’s Joy, tumbles its feathery white seed heads like snowballs over the Hawthorn. The seed cluster resembles a star with each seed emitting a feathered frond or style. Immature catkins dangle from the spindly branches of the white barked Silver Birch tree as the first snowflakes of winter fall. The snow disappears quickly and Chaffinches, Long Tailed Tits, Great Tits and Fieldfares begin to chatter amongst the trees. The Medlar trees bare branches, twisted and tangled, have shed their fruit which now lies rotting amongst the decaying leaves.

Fieldfares flutter and chatter in the orchard’s trees as a flock of raucous Crows pass overhead en route to their night roost and as the sky darkens a gentle rain begins to fall. A grey squirrel leaps across the trees at the orchard’s entrance. It grabs the branch tip which sways and bends under its body. The squirrel’s little claws scrabble as it scrambles up the spindly branch and through the treetops. The meadow’s attractive Beech hedge displays its retained coppery leaves that tremble and rustle in the sharp cold wind. Jays visit the base of the young Oak trees in search of buried acorns. Above the nursery site the wires hum and sing in the wind as the rain falls. Bright red thorny bramble stems spike upwards amongst the tall red stems of Viburnam, which appear to glow warmly under a covering of acid yellow lichen. Above the site, like a prehistoric bird with its long legs stretched out behind, pointed beak and large wings, a Grey Heron is silhouetted against the darkening sky as it returns to its roost.

The year draws to a close now, providing an ideal opportunity to reflect on this oasis of peace and wildlife. It is without question that the meadow, old nursery site and historic orchard must be preserved and cherished in order that everyone, present and future, can enjoy what is on offer and that the orchard remains a sanctuary which offers hope for the future health of our countryside and ourselves.

unseasonably mild quiet day in the orchard. In the high trees of the hedgerow a strange cracking betrays the presence of a squirrel gorging on Hazel nuts. Nearby on an old apple tree a Kestrel perches scanning the grass for the slight movement of a careless mouse or vole. A sharp “tchik”, almost a peeping call, disturbs the Kestrel and in a graceful swoop and climb it disappears into the meadow. The call is of the male Great Spotted Woodpecker as it flies in and settles on a plum tree. This woodpecker has creamy white breast feathers that finish in legs covered with pinky-red feathers almost like trousers. As it creeps around the trunk of the tree and disappears it displays a white face and eye-ring with a black moustache that flows over the head to the crimson nape patch.

In the orchard and along the nursery’s footpath scarlet red berries of the wild Bryony drape over some of the hedgerow like garlands on a Christmas tree. A few of the branches of the Hawthorn display the lichen Evernia prunastri. This green lichen clinging tightly to the branches resembles a crowded mass of antlers from miniature deer.

A crack of thunder rolls across the sky and a Muntjac deer leaps across the old nursery site footpath. Rain begins to fall as a Blackbird alarm call echoes through the darkening nursery. A Wren flies out of the scrub and dashes into a hole in the trunk of the Hawthorn tree. Bobbing through another bush are Great Tits, Blue Tits and Chaffinches while a Robin hotly pursues another Robin over territory. In the undergrowth three Woodcock are startled and with beating wings they vanish into the gloomy sky. A full moon rises over the orchard and a late flying Bat flits across the apple trees. An ethereal mist begins to creep up from the orchard’s ditch and with white cold fingers it spreads across the ground enclosing the trunks of the fruit trees in a shroud.

Early morning in the old nursery site and the grass is dusted with white cobwebs, each strand of gossamer thread covered in tiny water droplets from the overnight mist. The Hawthorn berries drip with multicoloured beads of water that sparkle in the bright sunshine which chases the mist away. Another warm day in the orchard and a large flock of Fieldfares chatter and swirl above the fruit trees before descending into the hedgerow. Beneath them an unusual number of Jays fly up and across towards the orchard’s entrance where a Squirrel with bright eyes and twitching tail sits.

November ends on a warm drizzly afternoon and a solitary Magpie flies high across the orchard, its black and white markings striking against the leaden sky.

Charmaine's Diary
October 2011

In the orchard’s meadow the cut hay is turned and as the sun beats down it quickly dries and is bailed. The heavy rectangular bales are collected and at the end of one day the meadow is clear, a task in the past that would have taken days. The cleared meadow is now visited by Magpies and Green Woodpeckers as they forage for insects in the short grass. Occasionally a masked face appears above the grass line as the head of the Green Woodpecker scans the skies for predators.
A strong wind has heralded the start of another day and from the branches of the Hawthorn that edge the orchard a fat Green Orb Weaver spider is blown from the leaves. This female spider has a bright green abdomen with dark brown spots. The Orb spider’s habitat is bushes and small trees where it likes to attach its egg sac to the underside of leaves that fall in the autumn and from which young spiders will emerge in the spring. Crows and the Jay scavenge together under the apple trees in the orchard. The Jay, with its beautiful pinkish brown colouring, iridescent blue feathers and black barring on its wings, differs so much from its relative, the sombre black feathered Crow. Both birds are Corvids and share the same high intelligence as another member, the Magpie.
October the 15th and the migrant Fieldfares have arrived on the old nursery site. Amongst the high branches of Hawthorn can be heard the familiar chuk–chuk call as they feast on berries with other members of the Turdidae family, the glossy Blackbird and the speckled Song Thrush. The trees are alive with sound and movement as the birds flutter and call as they dart from branch to branch. On the 25th October, as dusk falls, the migrant Woodcock is flushed from its hiding place. Against the sky the Woodcock’s chubby body and long bill angles downwards and its broad wings are silhouetted against the sky before it descends back into cover.
Above the orchard in the clear blue sky a solitary Buzzard drifts slowly in the late warm sunshine. A male Pheasant, resplendent in iridescent feathers of purple and chestnut with a glossy green head, flies over the nursery site and silently drops into the undergrowth. On the old site the Buff Tailed and Red Tailed Bumble bees search for late nectar sources before winter closes in.
Darkness is falling on the nursery site as the birds cease chattering and are settling to roost. Along the footpath a strange barking sound emits from the undergrowth and the cause ambles into view, a Muntjac. The small deer wanders along the path nosing into the lush green moss before it silently melts back into the shrubbery.