The Victorian Garden is on one of Blandford’s East Street/Market Place ‘Burgage plots’ many of which still have the remnants of old orchards.
Apple ‘Lane’s Prince Albert’
This was the only fruit tree found growing in the Garden when we started to cultivate the land in 2007. The tree is of similar age to many old fruit trees still surviving in other Blandford Gardens. Its variety was identified by an RHS expert at a Kingston Maurward Apple Day in 2008/9.
Lane’s Prince Albert is a Victorian period cooking apple. It is thought to have originated in Berkhamstead, Herts, as a cross between Russet Nonpareil and Dumelow’s Seedling, and named for Queen Victoria & Prince Albert; it was renamed by John Lane when it was grown commercially.
The tree is hardy with a small spreading habit and is a reliable cropper, the fruit cooks and stores well.
Apple Crown
On the south facing wall of the Museum is a mosaic made by the Victorian Garden group members, under the leadership of Judy Baker, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 .
Three varieties of apple have been planted beneath the mosaic. They are a mixture of cooking and dessert apples all with the word Queen in their names and all date from the Victorian period:
Winter Queening 1900’s
Queen Elizabeth 1857
Queen 1858
The trees have been specially trained to form the shape of a crown to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This is achieved by rubbing out any side shoots and encouraging stem growth along the wires. Fruiting is restricted to regularly spaced intervals along the length of the branches. This crown shape requires regular attention and training to maintain the effect.
Wisley crab
Planted on the eastern wall of the Museum, in memory of Pam LeBas, museum archivist and historian, is a ‘Wisley Crab’.
This is a crab apple tree like no other. The leaves are a deep purple-green colour and they are accompanied by pretty carmine flowers in spring. It produces the largest fruits of any ornamental crab; they have the size and appearance of shiny red dessert apples, and pink flesh which makes delicious scarlet crab apple jelly.
Click here to find out about Apple tree wassailing in the Museum Garden.