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Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Sun Oct 04, 09 3:03 pm Post subject:
I like the keepers site. good place to look up varieties with pictures etc

Ade901

Joined: 12 Oct 2009
Posts: 1

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 09 8:16 pm Post subject:

Scotts have just gone bust (last week) and a mate who works there says they won't be back (they went broke a couple of years ago as well) and had been going downhill for a while. We now buy fruit trees from Ashridge Trees (https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/) who are nearby, have a good range and great customer service.

Ade[/url]

Last edited by Ade901 on Mon Jun 16, 14 2:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 9:27 am Post subject:

Scotts - sadly John Scott Wallis, who was running Scotts, died suddenly recently of a brain tumour, which I guess meant their efforts to revive after bankruptcy a couple of years ago have come to nothing. He left a young family, terribly sad.

He was always extremely helpful and patient with me and always gave me the finest service, delivering trees at weekends and talking over my choices. He also managed our wedding present list successfully for us, when we asked for white plants for a special 'peace and reconciliation' garden.

It will be a shame if what could be a valuable resource in the 'heritage fruit' revival is lost. Our family always bought everything from them, and we still have victorian trees from there. They used to be called 'The Royal Nurseries' and my grandfather said ' If tis good enough for the king, tis good enough for I'.

I have the original book, the Orchardist,written by John Scott in the 1880s, the most fascinating thing I own, listing thousands of varieties of fruit trees stocked with tasting notes and descriptions. He travelled throughout Europe and Russia tracking down rare varieties and looking for the source of the British apple. Obviously a fighter, he had a dramatic quarrel with Thomas Rivers in the gardening press about the best rootstocks to use for which varieties. If I had time and money I'd love to write a book about John Scott.

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 9:31 am Post subject:
Are you nearby, Ade901?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 9:32 am Post subject:

yummersetter wrote:

If I had time and money I'd love to write a book about John Scott.

And I'd love to buy it. Maybe you could find the time to do an introductory article for Orangepippin.com?

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 9:37 am Post subject:
I may go over to the nursery and check that they're not dumping all the historical stuff in a skip, anyway - I always meant to ask John what they still had . . . . Unless I'm too late https://tinyurl.com/scottsnurseriescloses

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 9:55 am Post subject:

yummersetter wrote:

I may go over to the nursery and check that they're not dumping all the historical stuff in a skip, anyway

Good move, loads of stuff on old nurseries has been lost forever. I think OP would be more than happy to host scanned copies of old catalogues etc.

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 11:45 am Post subject:
Yes if there is anything I can do to help let me know.

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 09 12:02 pm Post subject:
Not as fashionable as fruit at the moment, but they also had a tremendous collection of old roses at Scotts. Grandad grew those too, but they didn't survive as long as the apple trees, I killed the last of them off in the 90s through ignorant pruning.

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 09 9:30 pm Post subject:
Does anyone know about https://www.habitataid.co.uk Looks interesting

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 09 4:57 am Post subject:

yummersetter wrote:

Does anyone know about https://www.habitataid.co.uk
Looks interesting

Yes I have spoken to this guy, he's working in loose association with Common Ground. He has an interesting business model, it is sort of an online charity shop.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 09 7:41 am Post subject:
It's an attractive site as well.

Minamoo

Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 1231

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 11 8:48 am Post subject:

I was at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show yesterday and bought some fruit trees from Mr D'Arcy's Heritage fruit Trees They are really good quality strong trees and the owner is a really lovely, helpful man. We got a Meeches Prolific quince for 29.99, an Old English Greengage on a pixy rootstock for 24.95 and a Scotch Dumpling apple for £24.95. All were 3 year old half standards in 12L containers and the apple was absolutely covered in blossom.

He had a lot more varieties at the show than he has on the website and apparently he only posts out the 1 year old maidens but I''m sure his nursery would be amazing.

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 12 11:10 am Post subject:
https://www.blackmoor.co.uk/ - blackmoor fruit nursery Just bought a tree, grape vine and a few bushes (one was potted) Very good service, everything extensively well packaged. Giant tree box for my bareroot bramley 20 M26 is a fantastic cat toy - much fun is being had dashing in and out and attacking each other through it.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Sat Jun 08, 13 4:11 pm Post subject:

I've just received a fruit tree catalogue from Bernwode Fruit Trees. It's a great read with loads of information and history. They stock many old and unusual varieties and will also graft a favourite tree onto a rootstock if required. The trees are container grown not bare root. I haven't ordered yet but intend to (they stock a Dorset plum I'm after). They are based in Buckinghsmshire.

Website link here. https://www.bernwodefruittrees.co.uk/ There are also some interesting articles (ancient fruit trees, identifying fruit trees and aging by ring count) under 'Read More'.

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