A Gardener’s Miscellany
This week it’s:
Peaches and nectarines
Fuzzy or smooth, these fruits are truly fascinating!
WHO doesn’t love a succulent, juicy, sweet-as-sugar peach? Well, there are some who aren’t keen on furry peach skin, so they much prefer the smoother but equally delicious nectarine. For those who don’t like either… well, you’re just weird (despite the fact that I can’t stand pineapple, so I guess, each to their own). Anyway, now is the time to prune peaches and nectarines, so let’s take a look at these amazing fruits.
■ The Latin name for the peach is Prunus persica, which comes from the belief that it was a native of Persia (modern-day Iran). Ancient Romans called it Malum persicum, or ‘Persian apple’. Later, the French took the persicum part, which became , and we developed this into ‘peach’.
