Fruit

 

One of the glories of the garden at Wisley is the Fruit Field. Here, visitors can see a huge collection of fruit trees and bushes, including a collection of more than 600 apple cultivars. Closer to the scale of the home gardener is the Model Fruit Garden. In both, good cultural techniques can be observed, and there are frequent demonstrations of pruning and other activities.

Information is provided on care and pruning of fruit trees and cane fruit plants in RHS Help & Advice.

Fruit Identification Service

Fruit can be sent to RHS Garden Wisley for identification. A fee is charged for this service.

The RHS Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Committee

The Committee is responsible for judging all individual and group exhibits of fruit, and vegetable exhibits shown to the Society at the London Flower Shows. At Chelsea it judges only individual exhibits, group exhibits being judged by a Council-appointed Panel. It is also responsible, through subcommittees, for judging of fruit and vegetable trials.
More information

RHS trials

Fruit trials are conducted at Wisley, and include careful assessment of flavour as well as yield, appearance, disease resistance and other cultivation attributes. As with all other plant groups under trial, the best-performing fruit gain the Award of Garden Merit.

Award of Garden Merit

Awards have been made to the following types of fruit:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrants
• Cherries
• Damsons
• Figs
• Gooseberries
• Greengages
• Loganberries
• Melons
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Redcurrants & whitecurrants
• Silvanberries
• Strawberries
• Tayberries

Award of Garden Merit

The RHS Fruit Group

The RHS Fruit Group, founded in 1945, is open to all RHS members with a special interest in the subject.

More information

Orange Pippin is a website dedicated to describing the flavours of apples and the origins of different apple cultivars. It also has links to other useful organisations.

Further reading

This is just one topic covered by the Society's monthly journal for members, The Garden, and recent articles of interest are listed below.

Arbury, J. 1999, July. Potted fruit. The Garden (RHS) 124(4): 255-257.

Arbury, J. 1998, October. Ready-made family. The Garden (RHS) 123(10): 738-739. Family trees.

Arbury, J. 1998, August. Breeding brambles. The Garden (RHS) 123(8): 578-579. Cultivation of blackberries and hybrid berries.

Arbury, J. 1996, August. Getting to grips with gooseberries. The Garden (RHS) 121(8): 482-485.

Arbury, J. 1995, October. Pick of the pears. The Garden (RHS) 120(10): 609-613.

Arbury, J. & S. Pinhey (ill.). 1997. Pears. Maidstone: Wells & Winter.

Blackburne-Maze, P. Productive cut-backs. The Garden (RHS) 122(11): 812-815. Fruit pruning.

Hammett, K. 1998, February. Improving on excellence. The Garden (RHS) 123(2): 86-89. Japanese musk melons.

Hendy, J. 1997, September. A taste of paradise. The Garden (RHS) 122(9): 636-639. Figs.

RHS Wisley Staff. 1997, July. Problem Profiles: Poor pollination in fruit. The Garden (RHS) 122(7): 524-525.