CHAPMANSLADE’S Barters Plant Centre has been helping Wiltshire Wildlife Trust with a project to establish more community orchards in the county.
The local plant centre is also having an open day on Saturday 23rd November where visitors can order their own Wiltshire apple tree.
The initiative to grow more community orchards has gathered pace in recent years. The Government recognises the value of communities with green spaces – parks, orchards, allotments, gardens etc – and, as part of the localism and decentralisation agenda, has committed to measures that will enable individuals and communities to gain access to the land they need. Creating or conserving a community orchard is one such example.
An orchard is a collection of fruit and, sometimes, nut trees often planted among grass full of wild flowers. Just as traditional orchards were often the centre of village life and a cornerstone of the rural economy, community orchards are excellent places for people to come together to plant and cultivate local and unusual varieties of fruit trees and to use as the focal point for community activities such as Apple Day, open air plays, picnics, story-telling events or festivals or as a green haven in which to relax and wind-down
The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has received a Lottery grant to establish over 20 community orchards in Wiltshire. If you visit their website you can see where these orchards will be. During the year, the Trust has been running courses to teach those who will be planting these orchards, how to care and maintain them.
Having grafted 100 Wiltshire apple trees for the 2012 Marlborough Apple Day, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust asked Barters Plant Centre in Chapmanslade to graft 650 apple trees for these new community orchards.
Diana Walker of Barters Plant Centre explained, “Legh set about collecting the grafting wood from local apple trees and Nick was busy grafting in January. The varieties are Bedwyn Beauty, Burns Seedling, Celt, Chorister Boy, Corsley Pippin, Dredges Fame, Julia’s late Golden, Mary Barnett, Roundway Magnum and Wiltshire Monster. The trees are growing at Barters.”
On Saturday 23rd November, The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust will be having an open day from 11.00am to 2.00pm at Barters and the apple trees will be distributed. If you are interested in ordering a Wiltshire apple tree, which Barters will graft for you this winter, come to Barters on the open day. Barters also have a collection of other fruit trees available.”
