I watched Monty Don on Gardener's World the other day and he showed how two branches on an apple tree had ripped from the trunk under the weight of its fruit. He had to cut off the entire branches. That spurred me into action because my miniature James Grieve apple tree is also heavily laden with apples this year and I had been contemplating devising some way of supporting the thin but heavy branches. Anyway, it would have been nice if I'd had some of those metal supports that look like shepherds' crooks which I could have neatly tucked under the branches, but I don't so I did the best I could with bamboo canes and soft garden twine. I think, hope, it will do the trick until the apples can be harvested. I have tried to keep the fruit from touching the canes as I don't want them banging around and bruised should a strong breeze blow up. I've had to stake the whole tree and there are a few pounds of apples on it.
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| Branches supported on James Grieve miniature apple tree - 12 Aug 2018 |
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| Heavy crop on miniature James Grieve apple tree |
While I was mooching around the RHS garden centre at Harlow Carr the other day, I took the (below) photograph of a Malus 'Red Sentinel'. It's a lovely tree and was heavy with fruit as you can see, but I don't really see the point of taking up garden space (unless you have a very large garden) to grow a fruit tree where the only use of the fruit is to make crab apple jelly.
The good thing about James Grieve is that it is tart enough to use as a cooking apple but also sweet enough to eat as a dessert apple. Best of both worlds really, and if you haven't a lot of space, and I don't, then a miniature tree does the trick and gives lots of beautiful blossoms in spring.
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| Malus 'Red Sentinel' at RHS garden centre, Harlow Carr - Aug 2018 |
