Rothay Park Orchard
With permission from SLDC, who own and maintain Rothay Park, members of AAFAF planted nine apple and plum trees in the park in March 2020 - a group of five close to the picnic tables and four by the end of the football pitch. At the same time we installed a planter in front of one of the seats close to the well-loved climbing rock. We hope that people will use this as a chat bench.
A long, dry spell followed and a tree "maintenance team" carried out individual watering visits several times a week over much of the summer as part of their daily exercise, making use of the small stream running through the park.
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The effort paid off and the trees have thrived. In spring 2021 they flowered and later had their first fruit, some of which we removed to ensure maximum energy went into strengthening the trees rather than producing fruit.
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Roe deer damage to the bark of three trees close to the football pitch was found in August 2021 and protection had to be put round the trunks.
As part of ongoing maintenance, the trees received an autumn pruning (left) to ensure that they are healthy next year.
In summer 2022 apples and plums did well, with both plum trees fruiting prolifically and all the apples producing at least some fruit. As expected, it has all been eaten by someone!
As part of ongoing maintenance, the trees received an autumn pruning (left) to ensure that they are healthy next year.
In summer 2022 apples and plums did well, with both plum trees fruiting prolifically and all the apples producing at least some fruit. As expected, it has all been eaten by someone!
Registered Charity Number 1188921