Fruit Tree Garden Tour: Exploring Sustainable Gardening, Espalier, Regenerative Orchard & Community Farming

Have you ever thought about how fruit trees have shaped the history and life around the world? It’s a journey of growing, community spirit, and old traditions mixed with new ideas.

I recently went on a fruit tree garden tour in the UK, and I learned how deeply fruit trees are ingrained in their culture and history. Come along as I share my adventures, and see how fruit trees connect us to the past and the future.

By the way, this is a quick summary of an Orchard People podcast. We’ve pulled out the highlights to give you a taste of the conversation—but there’s so much more in the full episode. Scroll down to watch or listen and hear the full story in context.

Introduction: Discovering the UK's Fruit Tree Heritage

In the UK, every area has its own special fruit tree story. As I explored beautiful orchards and community farms throughout the fruit tree garden tour, I saw that fruit trees are more than just part of the landscape—they’re part of everyday life. Exploring these places showed me how British orchards are full of both history and living, growing culture today.

A Visit to the Wisley RHS Garden: Heritage Meets Innovation

Our first stop of the fruit tree garden tour was the Wisley RHS Garden in Surrey. This place is home to lots of apple, pear, plum, and fig trees. I met Jim Arbury, who has been taking care of these trees for over 40 years, and Annie Butler, a Wisley Diploma graduate and now part of the Edibles Team.

Jim shared how they blend old traditions with new, earth-friendly methods like not using pesticides anymore. Jim explained the different pruning structures we can use when growing fruit trees. We saw three different structures: Espalier (decorative, two dimensional form), Standard trees (often used for cider apples, these are large trees pruned so that there are no branches below 6 feet) and open center form (Jim calls them "bush trees."

In addition to the extensive fruit tree plantings, Wisley has gorgeous gardens. Annie Butler says these are closely linked when growing fruit trees because they need pollinators to produce fruit. She says the meadows, pollinators, and birds are part of the orchard community, and planting fruit trees is an investment in the community between people and for the future.

Key Insights from Wisley:

• They grow many types of apple, pear, and plum trees, using both old and new kinds of trees.
• They focus on eco-friendly and holistic pest management instead of pesticides.
• The trees are grown in ways that are both practical and pretty.

Chiltern Heritage Orchards: A Fresh Growing Style

No fruit tree garden tour would be complete without seeing how people are growing fruit trees naturally and regeneratively. Lindsay Engers at Chiltern Heritage Orchards showed how healthy soil can make a big difference. Using methods that mimic nature, Lindsay is even able to grow rare, heritage trees successfully.

Takeaways from Chiltern Heritage Orchards:

• Healthy soil is very important and helps the fruit trees absorb nutrients easily.
• Using different kinds of cover crops and minimally disturbing the soil helps the microorganisms thrive.
• Biodiversity and allowing biology to do the heavy lifting brings balance between the pests and predators and overall health of the fruit trees.

The Newt in Somerset: Fruit Trees as Art

In Somerset, I visited The Newt, a luxurious estate where growing fruit trees is also an art. They have trained apple trees into various designs with espalier that showcase the UK's creative side.

Highlights from The Newt:

• The Parabola Garden has apple trees utilizing espalier techniques in artistic and functional structures like arches and fences.
• The walls made of local, historic rocks and soil help the trees grow strong and healthy.
• The team prunes the espalier trees several times a year to keep them trained artistically.

Highbridge Community Farm: Bringing People Together

The final destination of the fruit tree garden tour was Highbridge Community Farm in Hampshire. Here, people grow vegetable crops and fruit trees together, bringing the community closer. This project is all about working together and learning from each other, and a generous farmer who offered land in the beginning to make this possible.

Lessons from Highbridge:

• Community orchards connect people, share knowledge, and collaborate towards a common goal.
• They use organic methods to grow healthy, local food.
• Everyone joins in and enjoys the fruits of their labor together.

Grow 
Fruit Trees 
That Thrive

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Conclusion: Embracing UK Fruit Tree Culture

This fruit tree garden tour in the UK showed me how fruit trees and intentional methods can grow a greener future. Each place taught me something unique about the role of fruit trees in culture and community.

If you love fruit trees, come listen to our podcast for more stories and tips, and join me as I write my new book on fruit tree garden design by becoming a member of my book development team.

Remember, whether you’re caring for a big orchard or just one tree in your backyard, fruit trees are more than just food—they are a step towards a brighter future.

Check Out the Full Podcast Here

Susan Poizner

Award-winning author, podcaster, fruit tree care educator and creator of the fruit tree care education website OrchardPeople.com. Learn more about Susan on the about us page.