January News
I surfaced after Christmas and found that there was quite a lot of apple activity to do in January, on the website, making visits and giving a talk to the Calbourne Garden Group.
An Interesting orchard in West Wight
Dave and I visited an orchard in West Wight which was new to us.
Isle of Wight Orchard Group
The aim of the Isle of Wight orchard group is to conserve, promote and celebrate orchards and fruit and nut trees on the Isle of Wight.
Next meeting - Monday 30th April 6.00pm - 8.00pm at the Castle Inn, Newport
Please bring all the 'survey stuff' to the meeting to compare results and begin to put together a comprehensive survey of orchards in the IOW.
Paintings and Drawings
Several people have told me they don't know where to find the paintings/drawings on the website. Scroll down below the information about each apple, first the photo, then the writing, then the drawing appears underneath. You can then see what the apple looks like when cut in half which is a real help with identification.
Thank you
Thank you for the emails - it is good to know someone out there is finding the site interesting and useful.
About this website
This website started on the Isle of Wight and reached the world wide web with the help of West Wight Landscape Partnership It is the sort of website I would have found useful when visiting a garden or in the tent at Apple Weekend, on being shown an apple and asked ‘What variety is it?’
I soon found that apple identification is not an exact science and to be truly accurate a lot of information is needed i.e. flowering time, leaves, dates when planted, several apples in a sample etc. and checking with a named tree.
However I have seen, drawn, painted, cut up and tasted every apple on this website. The descriptions and comments are all my own work, the flowering times and season come from Bultitude (see references) in the case of some apples. Every apple on this website has been checked against a named tree at RHS Wisley or Deacon's Nursery, except when noted in the text.
How did I choose the apples on this website? They chose themselves by being on display at the Isle of Wight Apple Weekend (2000 - 2007), or were found in Isle of Wight gardens, orchards or in a few cases in IOW supermarkets and shops. Perhaps you grow these apples in your garden and would like to add your comments - if so please contact us.
Where did the pictures come from? The paintings and pencil drawings have been made over the last twelve years, as a personal record. In the beginning I only meant to record a few of the most common apples, but as I found out more, and more apples turned up to be recorded the collection grew. The painted records became bulky and unwieldy as time went on and I put the information into the computer but sometimes a drawing tells you more than a photo, so both are on this website.
The apple groups follow the system in Bultitude (1989) and Sanders (1988) both now out of print and The New Book of Apples by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards. (see references)
Good luck with identifying the apples in your garden and enjoy finding out about the apples you grow and about Isle of Wight apples and people.
Alison
