Apple blossom thrives after warm spring and mild winter
Written by News on 02/05/2020
A bumper year for apple blossom has been created by weeks of sunshine that has boosted the chances of a good harvest, the National Trust has said.
The mild winter and a warm summer last year along with temperatures soaring to 24C during this spring’s flowering season with little rain during April have resulted in a heavy bloom for apple trees.
Bees being more active as a result of the sunshine and the lack of strong winds allowed blossom to open for longer, so more flowers could be pollinated.
The National Trust, which looks after more than 200 traditional apple orchards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and grows heritage varieties, said there had been outstanding displays at some of its sites.
Dave Bouch, head gardener at Cotehele, in Cornwall, which has 10 acres of orchards and more than 125 varieties of apple tree including the Cornish Honeypinnick, Limberlimb, Pig’s Nose and Lemon Pippin, said: “It has been an exceptional year for blossom this spring.
“Apples are biennial when it comes to cropping, so they will naturally have better years than others, and the crop is very dependent on rainfall over the coming months.
“That said, the scales are tipped towards a great crop this autumn.”
Apple blossom appeared early in many parts of the country, such as the 17th century orchard at Ardress in Northern Ireland where trees flowered two weeks ahead of schedule due to the warm conditions.
Tenant farmer Greg MacNeice who produces cider from the 5,000 trees on site said: “We have had the earliest blossom in a long time.
“Like elsewhere in the British Isles, we’re feeling the impacts of climate change, and these milder and wetter winters mean our spring growth in the apple trees also gets going earlier.”
The National Trust launched #BlossomWatch in March to encourage people to take notice of blooming trees from their windows or in their gardens in the face of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The campaign, which is asking people to share images on social media, has proved popular with thousands of images posted online.
Nick Fraser, head gardener at Nunnington Hall in North Yorkshire: “We’re into the sixth week of lockdown now and people are craving nature.
“Perhaps one of the reasons why this year’s blossom seems so spectacular is that we’re all paying closer attention to it, we’re taking time to properly stop and look and reflect.”
(c) Sky News 2020: Apple blossom thrives after warm spring and mild winter
