Preserved Pears Recipe for Christmas
There’s something wonderfully comforting about turning a modest harvest into handmade Christmas gifts. A simple, cosy kitchen moment—shared with the warmth you’d expect from Planting Advice since 1949.
Read moreThere’s something wonderfully comforting about turning a modest harvest into handmade Christmas gifts. A simple, cosy kitchen moment—shared with the warmth you’d expect from Planting Advice since 1949.
Read moreWhether you’re filling a gap in the hedge, planting a show-stopping cherry, or creating a cosy “room” with copper beech, our Guaranteed Plants That Grow make it easy.
Read morePollination is key to a bumper fruit crop, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Benefit from Advice from Experts and Guaranteed Plants That Grow to make your orchard thrive.
Read moreRootstocks shape how fruit trees grow, and with our expertise, you don’t need to worry. From Bushes and Half Standards to Maidens and Cordons, we provide guaranteed plants that grow and guidance from Plant Experts to ensure every tree thrives in your garden or orchard.
Read moreCan you grow apple trees above 500 feet? Absolutely — with the right site and care. Learn how slope, wind, soil, and shelter affect fruit trees in higher altitudes, and how to avoid frost damage while keeping your orchard thriving. Reliable, down-to-earth advice from Professional Plant Suppliers at Ashridge.
Read moreChoosing the right size fruit tree makes all the difference to your harvest. Whether you’re planting a compact Bush tree for a small garden, a grand Half-Standard for open space, or training a Maiden into an espalier or cordon, we’ll help you pick the perfect fit. Step-by-step guidance from Experts in Bareroot Plants at Ashridge ensures success from the start.
Read moreWhether for hedging or forestry, bare-root stock outperforms container-grown plants in almost every way. Ashridge Nurseries explains why planting dormant, field-grown hedging and trees during the winter months saves money, benefits the environment, and produces stronger, more vigorous plants. From superior root development to easier planting and reduced risk of pests, discover why Ashridge – The Voice of Experience recommends bare-root stock for lasting success in your garden.
Read moreThis is just about pruning cordons - there is a much longer piece on growing cordon fruit trees if you would like…
Read moreWe get lots of enquiries about growing fruit trees in the UK at altitude, often from people who have seen the magnificent…
Read moreHomemade Elderberry SyrupThe Recipe:This is our family recipe, and we think it makes the best elderberry syrup we have ever tasted.Pick the…
Read moreWhen you have enough Elderflower Cordial you might like to think about Elderflower Champagne. By the way, it is a good excuse…
Read moreMake a unique Jelly from Country Hedges & Wild PlantsThis recipe uses fruit commonly found in mixed hedges and wild plants (identify…
Read moreHow about pheasant with caramelised apple and cider sauce!Pheasant cosies up with a fruity double act of apples and cider for a…
Read moreHomemade Elderflower Cordial RecipeLate May - June is Elderflower time!Elderflower cordial in the shops is expensive and can be a bit sickly…
Read moreOrchard wassailing is an indigenous English ritual with records dating back as far as the 11th century, and is still performed by…
Read moreWiltshire-based garden designer Dan Combes wonders why there aren't more berries, especially in urban areas and their small gardens where a fruit…
Read moreWhat is the difference between a cobnut and a filbert? Are they the same thing, with regional variations of nomenclature? Quick Answers…
Read moreDo you have a freezer full of blackberries? If not, then ignore the blackberry & enjoy your apple crumble! This time of…
Read moreAs a company, we have invested billions (approximately) in producing nicely edited videos about planting and pruning fruit trees Rodney, local movie…
Read moreThere’s nothing quite like the fresh, tangy flavour of home-grown raspberries, and what better way to enjoy them than in delicious raspberry…
Read moreThere’s Nothing Quite Like Baking with Home-Grown Apples in your Apple Muffin Recipe. Their fresh, crisp flavour brings out the best in…
Read moreWith Homegrown FigsThere’s nothing quite as jammy as the satisfaction of your own fig jam crafted from fig you grew yourself in…
Read moreGrafting is one of Mankind’s ancient technologies, generally done in Spring onto rootstocks planted a full year ago, or mature trees Grafting…
Read moreApple pollination is usually not a concern in the UK, because there are so many orchard and crab apple trees around However,…
Read moreWhat are these brown spots on my quince tree’s leaves and fruit? Quince Leaf Blight is the fungus Diplocarpon mespili, which ruin…
Read moreWhat is Apple Scab and Pear Scab?Apple Scab and Pear Scab are functionally the same, although the specific fungus is different: Apple…
Read moreThere is no need to be afraid of Silver Leaf disease, which rarely affects Cherry and Plum trees in gardens, and even…
Read morePlum Fruit split is a condition, not a disease, where the fruit is damaged by splits in the skin. Although they tend…
Read moreYes, but…Yes, you can grow a fruit tree from a seed or stone obtained from fruit in the supermarket, but you will…
Read moreHow to Grow BlueberriesBlueberry plants require acidic soil, pH 5.5 or below, that is moist yet free draining, with lots of rich…
Read morePlanting Blackberries Blackberry bushes tolerate most growing conditions found in the UK, and benefit greatly from anything to grow on for support,…
Read moreBlackberry bushes are easy to cut back, this page is not here to overcomplicate things.It’s just a matter of choosing what works…
Read moreHow to Grow Blackcurrants BushesBlackcurrants are simple to grow, and the pruning regime is a bit different from pruning Red & Whitecurrants.…
Read moreGooseberry bushes are pruned almost exactly the same way as Red & Whitecurrant bushes.Pruning is so important for getting good crops of…
Read moreCurrants are some of the most easily grown, and also pretty, little soft fruit bushes. Red & whitecurrants are grown differently from…
Read moreRhubarb plants are perfect for beginners & low-maintenance lovers. For best results, we recommend that you dig your patch over at least…
Read moreWhen you order bareroot strawberry plants from us, you can either plant them straight outside in your strawberry beds and planters, or…
Read moreIntro to Raspberry GrowingThese point apply to almost all our raspberry plants: They fruit very heavily. Their fruit has an extremely high…
Read moreHow to Apply Winter Wash to Fruit TreesIt’s good to apply winter wash to your fruit and ornamental trees in the winter…
Read moreThe most popular fig variety in the UK for getting fruit from is the ‘Brown Turkey’ fig.The instructions for ‘Brown Turkey’ apply…
Read moreEssential Aftercare & Maintenance for Good CropsClean Up Leaves & PruningsWhen the crop is in, and winter is knocking on the door,…
Read moreTwo Ways to Find Pollination Partners The main Pollination Checker Tool makes it easy for you to find partners for individual fruit…
Read moreWhen to Prune Crab Apple TreesThis video demonstrates a crab apple tree, and the same principles apply to a lot of other…
Read moreApplying fruit tree grease from November onwards is used to trap a wide variety of winter moths before they can lay their…
Read moreGrease Bands are Convenient on Young Fruit TreesIf you apply grease bands to your young fruit trees, it will help prevent winter…
Read moreFormative pruning of new, freestanding fruit trees, starts with either unbranched Maidens, or young Bushes or Half Standards with a further year’s…
Read moreChoosing Pollination Partners for Pear Trees Use our easy pollination checking tool to quickly find pollination partners for a given pear tree,…
Read moreCan I make cider from eating and cooking apples?Yes, all apples make cider, but the flavours from cider apples are better: most…
Read moreMany Plums Are Reliably Self FertileMost plums are either reliably self fertile or partially self fertile, so pollination is much less of…
Read morePollinating your Apple Trees Increases your crop Size Most apple trees need to be pollinated in order to bear fruit, and even…
Read moreWe grow a good range of self fertile sweet cherry trees that do not need to be pollinated. However, more than half…
Read moreTo graft your own fruit trees, you can buy Apple, Pear, Cherry, and Plum rootstocks from us.Grafting is the only way to…
Read moreThe British climate makes for ideal apple territory.They like well drained, fertile soil including clay, and with shelter can grow inland at…
Read moreFruit Tree PlantingWatch our step-by-step video showing you how to plant bush or half-standard sized fruit tree with a small 120cm tree…
Read moreGrow Conference, then Comice, then Concorde.
Read moreCordons are compact wire trained fruit trees, usually apple or pear
Read moreThe Best Plum Tree Pruning VideosPlums are vigorous trees and respond well to pruning. If they are not pruned, they quickly get…
Read moreApple Tree Varieties Suitable for Scotland & the NorthApple trees are incredibly hardy, however, their flowers can be damaged in freezing weather,…
Read moreMost Apples are spur bearing; partial tips are like spursMost apples and pears are spur bearing: they are pruned “normally”, and are…
Read moreCordon apples & pears are even better suited to grafting than freestanding trees
Read moreOne of our customers, M, got in touch with a fruit tree pollination question, asking about the difference between: Not self-fertile Partially…
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