Apple of my eye

“It is apple season and, from early September into November, apples and the thousand acres of orchards around Longmeadow dominate the way that the countryside here looks and smells”

‘Tis the season. The orchard is baubled with ripe fruit, the ground is scattered with windfalls and a cidery tang is carried on the morning air. It is apple season and, from early September into November, apples and the thousand acres of orchards around Longmeadow dominate the way that the countryside here looks and smells.

In the garden we have (and I had to go out and check this because the number has crept up on me) 49 different varieties of apple and rising. I originally planted 39 standards in the orchard, while I have added cordons, step-overs and half standards in the Cottage Garden. Had I more space, I would love to double that number of varieties – but even then I would only be scratching the surface of the