Re: 'Nuptial Trees'
Tim wrote:
>It's offered by quite a few UK nurseries (even one in Scotland, though
>one notorious/famous for the risks it takes with hardiness) but I
>wonder if it fruits here? Does anyone on the list know? Dave? Paul?
>Too much wet and not enough heat here, perhaps, for us to see it at
>its best?
Hi Tim, Good to see you here Paul.
Re Loquats in the UK.
I do know that it has fruited and successfully ripened here in the
South West on a number of occasions, the last one being 1996 following
a very mild winter which in turn followed a hot summer. 1997 was also
a 'hot' year and if the ensuing winter had been milder, there would
have been successive cropping. Prior to that, 1989 and 1990 - both
hot years (26C - 31C virtually every day between June - September in
1991) with no frost between (min 5C that winter), conspired to give a
moderately good crop on trees at Paignton & Totnes.
A good hot summer is essential to ripen the shoots for flowering, a
mild autumn, winter and spring, essential for flower production,
pollination and subsequent survival of young fruits. This needs to be
followed by an early hot summer to enable those fruits to reach
maturity and ripen. Those are the requirements for the UK. As we
know, such combinations probably only occur in the south once or twice
in a decade at best so you can draw your own conclusions as to its
suitability as a fruit tree here from that.
I can get Valencia oranges to ripen out of doors with greater success
here than a loquat! Mind you, they are only good for marmalade and
orange sauce, but at least they look very festive in the garden at
Christmas time - until they get picked for the sauce for the duck!
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
