Broomfield Park tree trail

Origin and introduction

Native to China and Korea, where it is associated with temples, palaces, and cultural heritage. In South Korea it is a protected tree, while in China it was one of the 5 official species planted as memorials. It was introduced to Europe in 1747 by the Jesuit priest Pierre d’Incarville and arrived in England soon after.

Description

A small to medium-sized deciduous tree, reaching about 12 metres, with a spreading, rounded crown. The pinnate leaves emerge pinkish in spring, turn fresh green in summer, and blaze orange-yellow in autumn. In July and August, it produces striking panicles of small, golden-yellow flowers, followed by papery, lantern-like seed pods.

Ecology

The flowers attract bees and other pollinators, while the decorative seed pods persist in to winter, adding seasonal interest.

Uses and cultural notes

Known as the Golden Rain Tree for its cascades of yellow blossoms. In Europe, it has been planted as a memorial tree, including a semi-circle in Battersea Park commemorating Indian independence in 1997.

Local connection

A specimen in Broomfield Park was planted in memory of Salvatore Oliveri (1933-1999).

Curiosity

The bark of the Pride of India often becomes mottled with colourful lichens, enhancing its beauty throughout the year.

Origin and introduction

Native to the UK and much of Europe. The English Oak is one of Britain’s most iconic and historically significant trees.

Description

A massive deciduous tree, capable of reaching 40 metres and living for many centuries. It has a broad, spreading crown and deeply lobed leaves. Acorns, borne in cups on long stalks, are its distinctive fruit.

Ecology

English Oak is unmatched in its wildlife value – supporting more than 2,000 species of insects, birds, mammals, and fungi. Its acorns are eaten by jays, squirrels, and deer, helping sustain woodland ecosystems.

Uses and cultural notes

Its tough, durable timber was the backbone of shipbuilding and construction in Britain for centuries. The oak is a national symbol of strength and endurance, celebrated in folklore, poetry, and heraldry.

Local connection

Many specimens of oak in the park are survivors of the 18th and 19th Century. Oak was also used in Broomfield House for the staircase, panelling and therefore have a certain symbolic value.

Curiosity

Some oaks in Britain are believed to be over 1,000 years old, often hollow but still alive. They continue to produce new shoots and acorns well into great age.

Origin and introduction

Native to eastern and central North America, the Pin Oak was introduced to Britain in the 18th century as an ornamental tree. It quickly gained popularity for its straight form, symmetrical branching, and striking autumn colour.

Description

A medium to large deciduous tree, typically reaching 20 to 25 metres in height, with a broad, pyramidal crown. Its glossy, deeply lobed leaves turn vibrant shades of red, orange, and bronze in autumn. The tree produces small acorns that mature after 2 years.

Ecology

In its native range, the Pin Oak thrives in moist, acidic soils, often along streams and floodplains. In Britain, it adapts well to parkland and urban planting. Its acorns provide food for birds and small mammals, while the tree offers nesting sites and seasonal shade.

Uses and cultural notes

Highly valued for its ornamental appearance and tolerance of wet soils, the Pin Oak is frequently planted in parks, gardens, and avenues. Its tidy shape and brilliant autumn foliage make it a popular choice for landscape design. The wood, though somewhat knotty, is used in North America for furniture and general construction.

Local connection

Specimens of Pin Oak can be found in many London parks and gardens, including Broomfield Park, where they add autumnal colour and contrast to native oaks.

This particular tree was planted in memory of Sir Anthony Berry, MP, who was killed in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing by the IRA. It is now about 50 years old.

Curiosity

The name 'Pin Oak' refers to the small, stubby twigs that remain on the trunk and branches after leaf fall, resembling pins. Unlike many oaks, it retains its lower branches for many years, giving it a distinctive layered appearance.

Origin and introduction

The weeping willow is a hybrid of Chinese and European willows, widely cultivated across Britain since the 18th century. It thrives near water.

Description

A graceful, fast-growing deciduous tree with long, slender branches that cascade downwards, often touching the ground or water surface. It typically grows to 20 to 25 metres. Its narrow, lance-shaped leaves are fresh green in spring and summer, turning yellow in autumn.

Ecology

Weeping willows are well-suited to riversides and lakesides, where their roots help stabilise banks. They provide food and shelter for insects, birds, and amphibians.

Uses and cultural notes

Traditionally admired for their beauty, they became fashionable in 18th-century landscape gardens, often planted beside ornamental lakes. Willow bark contains salicin, the natural source of aspirin.

Local connection

Weeping willows surround the boating pond giving grace to the rather municipal but well-loved pond. Sundays are a favourite for model boat enthusiasts.

Curiosity

The drooping silhouette of the weeping willow has made it a universal symbol of mourning and melancholy, often depicted in art, poetry, and graveyard monuments.

Origin and introduction

This tree is still standing but quite dead. Its tall stature is a commanding presence.

Description

Rising above the surrounding canopy, this tree serves as a natural marker in the landscape. Its height and position give it a watchful, almost guardian-like character.

Ecology

As with many mature trees, it provides habitat and food for birds, insects, and small mammals.

Uses and cultural notes

The bare structure of the tree adds height and sculpture to the lakeside and parkland design, a single tall specimen often serves as a focal point or wayfinding feature. The Sentinel Tree performs this role, standing proud as a symbol of continuity and resilience.

Local connection

Widely known to be a favourite tree for a resident pair of Egyptian geese, at Broomfield. Also regularly used by cormorant.

Origin and introduction

A native British tree, also widespread across Europe. Commonly found in ancient woodlands and hedgerows, especially on clay soils.

Description

A medium-sized deciduous tree, up to 25 metres tall, with a dense crown and fluted, ridged trunk. Its leaves are oval with sharply toothed edges, resembling beech but more deeply veined.

Ecology

Hornbeam is shade-tolerant and long-lived, providing food and shelter for many insects and birds. Its catkins appear in spring, followed by small nutlets with leafy bracts that are dispersed by the wind.

Uses and cultural notes

Its timber is extremely tough, historically used for tools, cogs in mills, and butcher’s blocks. Hornbeam has also been widely used in hedging and traditional woodland management such as coppicing and pollarding.

Curiosity

The name 'hornbeam' refers to the wood’s hardness ('horn') and its traditional use for beams. It is one of the hardest of all European timbers.

Origin and introduction

Native to eastern North America, especially wet lowlands and river valleys. Introduced to Britain in the 18th century as an ornamental tree.

Description

A medium to large deciduous tree, reaching 20 to 25 metres in its native range (usually smaller in Britain). Its glossy, oval leaves are unremarkable in summer but turn some of the most brilliant autumn colours of any tree – deep reds, oranges, and purples.

Ecology

Tupelo thrives in damp or boggy soils. Its flowers, though inconspicuous, provide nectar for bees, and its small bluish fruits are eaten by birds and wildlife.

Uses and cultural notes

In the southern USA, the tree is also called 'black gum.' Tupelo honey, produced when bees forage on its flowers, is highly prized.

Curiosity

Its autumn display is so striking that the tupelo is often planted in arboreta and parks specifically for seasonal colour.

Origin and introduction

The Lime (or Linden) is native to Europe and widely planted in Britain. This species is native to Britain

Description

A tall, stately tree reaching 30 metres or more, with a straight trunk and broad crown. Its heart-shaped leaves are glossy green, turning pale yellow in autumn. In summer, fragrant clusters of pale-yellow flowers attract bees in abundance.

Ecology

Lime flowers are rich in nectar and highly valued by pollinators, especially bees. Its dense shade makes it less hospitable to ground flora but creates a distinctive, cathedral-like atmosphere in avenues.

Uses and cultural notes

Lime wood is pale, soft, and easily carved, historically used for musical instruments, woodcuts, and fine joinery. In landscape design, lime avenues have long been associated with formality and grandeur.

Local connection

The double avenue of lime trees in Broomfield Park is a defining landscape feature, extending in a straight line across the whole of the top field from the western edge of the park in the direction of the ornamental ponds and remains of Broomfield House. First planted prior to 1754 the tree lines are regarded as important features relating to the park's Baroque garden layout. The elms were replaced in 1977 after Dutch elm disease destroyed the specimens.

Curiosity

Though unrelated to the citrus fruit, the lime, has inspired folklore and poetry across Europe. In German tradition, it was a tree of justice and community gatherings.

Origin and introduction

A deciduous conifer from the wetlands of the south-eastern USA and Florida Everglades. Introduced to Britain in 1640 by the botanist John Tradescant the Younger.

Description

A tall tree reaching up to 50 metres, with a straight trunk and fine, feathery foliage that turns fiery russet in autumn. Its most distinctive feature is the curious 'knees' – knobbly root growths that rise above the ground or water, helping the tree breathe in swampy conditions.

Uses and cultural notes

The timber is durable and used for barrels, window frames, and construction. It is sometimes marked with small holes caused by a fungus; this is known as pecky (or 'peggy') cypress, and the patterned wood is sought after for interior design.

Local connection

There is another fine specimen beside the bridge in Arnos Park, and 2 more in Queen Mary’s Gardens, Regent’s Park.

Curiosity

Although it loses its leaves in winter, it is closely related to evergreen conifers, making it an unusual 'deciduous evergreen.'

Origin and introduction

Native to the south eastern United States and parts of Central America, the Sweetgum was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. Its attractive star-shaped leaves and brilliant autumn colours made it a favourite ornamental tree in large gardens and parks.

Description

A medium to tall deciduous tree, often reaching 20 to 30 metres in height, with a straight trunk and conical crown when young, becoming more rounded with age. The leaves are glossy and deeply lobed, turning shades of crimson, orange, and purple in autumn. The tree bears distinctive, spiky seed balls that hang from long stalks through winter.

Ecology

In its native habitat, Sweetgum grows in moist woodlands and along riverbanks. It provides food and shelter for a range of wildlife, including birds that feed on its seeds. In Britain, it is valued primarily as a decorative species, contributing to autumnal colour displays in parks and arboreta.

Uses and cultural notes

The name 'Sweetgum' comes from the fragrant resin, or 'storax,' that seeps from the bark, historically used in medicines and perfumes. In North America, the timber is valued for veneer, furniture, and interior finishing. In Britain, it is mainly planted for ornamental purposes, appreciated for its vivid seasonal colour and shapely form.

Local connection

Sweetgum trees can be found in many public and private landscapes across London. Their brilliant autumn display provides one of the highlights of Broomfield Park’s collection of ornamental trees.

Curiosity

Sweetgum trees can live for more than 150 years. Their seed balls persist on the tree long after the leaves have fallen, adding winter interest – though they can be somewhat prickly underfoot when they drop.

Origin and introduction

A native British tree, thriving in damp ground beside rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Description

Medium-sized, reaching 25m, with a dark, often fissured bark. Leaves are rounded with a notched tip, and unusually stay green late into autumn. In early spring it bears long yellow catkins (male) alongside small woody cones (female), which persist through winter.

Ecology

Alder roots form a partnership with bacteria that fix nitrogen, enriching the soil. It is a keystone species for wetland wildlife: supporting insects, providing food for birds, and stabilising riverbanks for fish and amphibians.

Uses and cultural notes

Its timber resists rot when submerged and was once used for water pipes, foundations, and canal structures. The Venetian city foundations are famously supported by alder piles.

Curiosity

Though its timber decays quickly in air, under water it can last for centuries — an apparent paradox.

Origin and introduction

Native to eastern and central North America. Introduced to Europe in the 18th century and now widely planted.

Description

A large deciduous oak reaching 29 metres, with branches that often grow at right angles to the main stem. In autumn, its broad, deeply lobed leaves turn brilliant scarlet and crimson.

Ecology and reproduction

Acorns remain on the tree for 2 years before ripening. They require cold stratification – 3 months below 4°C – before they will germinate.

Uses and cultural notes

The timber is attractive but has an unusually open grain: it is famously porous enough that smoke can be blown through a flat-sawn board. Because of this, it is unsuitable for outdoor use. Red oak is nevertheless valued for furniture and flooring.

Curiosity

Though widely planted in Europe, it does not support as much native wildlife as the English oak, making it less ecologically valuable here.

Origin and introduction

A 'living fossil,' unchanged for over 270 million years. Native to China, where it was cultivated in temple gardens, and now planted worldwide.

Description

A deciduous tree with distinctive fan-shaped leaves, unique among broadleaf species for their simple, radiating veins. In autumn the foliage turns a luminous golden yellow, often falling all at once in a striking display.

Ecology and reproduction

Ginkgo trees are dioecious, with separate male and female trees. Female trees produce small fruits which, though edible, emit a strong and unpleasant smell as they ripen. Male trees are usually preferred in urban planting.

Individual branches on a ginkgo tree can sometimes switch sex, a rare process known as localized sex conversion. This occurs when, for example, a male tree develops a female branch that produces seeds, or vice versa. Though ginkgo trees are normally either male or female, these branch-level sex changes – possibly triggered by environmental or evolutionary factors – remain poorly understood and difficult to study due to their rarity and historical human grafting practices.

Uses and cultural notes

Extremely resilient, ginkgoes tolerate pollution, confined roots, and poor soils. They have been widely used in cities as street trees. Extracts from the leaves are used in traditional and modern medicine, especially for memory and circulation.

Curiosity

6 ginkgo trees famously survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 1945, re-sprouting soon after and still thriving today. They are considered symbols of endurance and peace.

Origin and introduction

Native to northern Iran and the Caucasus region. Introduced to Britain in the 19th century as an ornamental tree.

Description

A small to medium tree, usually 6 to 10 metres, with a spreading crown. Its leaves are oval, turning spectacular shades of red, orange, and purple in autumn. The bark peels away in irregular patches, revealing a patchwork of grey, green, and cream beneath.

Ecology and reproduction

In late winter it produces small, curious clusters of red flowers before the leaves emerge. These have no petals, only bright red stamens, but provide early pollen for insects.

Uses and cultural notes

The wood is extremely dense and hard – hence the name 'ironwood' – though in practice it is little used commercially. It is prized more as a garden specimen for its year-round interest – flowers in winter, foliage in autumn, and bark through the colder months.

Curiosity

In its native forests on the Caspian Sea’s southern slopes, Persian ironwood forms part of the ancient Hyrcanian forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back 25 to 50 million years.

Origin and introduction

Native to the south eastern United States, and introduced into England in 1726. The name Catalpa derives from Catawba, a Native American tribe, but was misspelled by an early botanist and the error stuck.

Description

A broad-crowned, deciduous tree with huge, heart-shaped leaves. In early summer it produces large clusters of orchid-like white flowers, followed by long, bean-like pods which hang through autumn and winter. Foliage turns golden before leaf fall.

Uses and cultural notes

Native Americans used parts of the tree medicinally – bark and leaves for wounds, and seeds for chest ailments. The timber is light and brittle, but resistant to decay, making it useful for fence posts and crating. In the USA, it was once widely planted near railway lines to supply timber for railroad ties.

Local and wider examples

Fine specimens grow outside St James’s Church, Piccadilly, and in the Cambridge Botanic Garden.

Curiosity

Despite being classified as a hardwood, its timber is soft and almost as easy to work as pine. The tree is sometimes still called 'Catawba' in the southern United States.

Origin and introduction

Native to the Mediterranean region, including Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Introduced to Britain in the 16th century.

Description

An evergreen oak, unusual in Britain, with glossy, dark green leaves that resemble holly when young but become more oval with age. It can grow into a large, rounded tree up to 25 metres tall.

Ecology and reproduction

Acorns take 18 months to ripen, rather than the single year of most oaks. Holm oak provides year-round shelter for wildlife and is valued in Mediterranean landscapes for its resilience to heat and drought.

Uses and cultural notes

The timber is exceptionally strong and was traditionally used for cartwheels, carriages, and agricultural tools. In southern Europe, it is one of the favoured hosts for truffle orchards.

Curiosity

Described by one arborist as 'by far the biggest and best broadleaved evergreen that we can grow as far north as Britain'. Its spring foliage often looks shabby before being renewed by fresh, downy growth.

Origin and introduction

A deciduous conifer, long thought extinct and known only from fossils, until living trees were discovered in China in the 1940s. Seeds were distributed worldwide soon after, and it has been planted across Europe and North America.

Description

A tall, fast-growing tree with a narrow, symmetrical shape. Its soft, feathery branchlets are bright green in spring and summer, turning golden-orange in autumn before falling – unusual for a conifer. The bark is reddish-brown and fibrous.

Ecology and cultural history

Locals in China once called it the 'water larch' and fed its leaves to cattle. Its rediscovery in the 20th century was hailed as one of the greatest botanical finds of the century by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard.

Uses and cultural notes

Now grown mainly as an ornamental and educational tree. It is admired for its graceful form and spectacular seasonal colour.

Curiosity

The species was only known from fossils until 1941, when living specimens were found in Sichuan province. It is sometimes referred to as a 'living fossil', like the ginkgo.

Origin and introduction

Native to China and northern India, the White Mulberry was introduced to Europe by the Romans. It has been cultivated in Britain for centuries, valued both for its fruit and as a traditional symbol of prosperity and abundance.

Description

A fast-growing but relatively short-lived tree, it can reach up to 15 metres in height with an even broader spread. Its large, heart-shaped leaves form a wide, often irregular crown. In late summer, it bears clusters of fruits of varying colours that are juicy, sweet, and slightly tart.

Ecology

The fruits are enjoyed by birds and people alike, though red fruits can leave stains on pavements and clothing. The leaves are the preferred food of silkworms, yet attempts to establish a mulberry-based silk industry in Britain were never commercially successful.

Uses and cultural notes

Mulberries have been cultivated in royal and private gardens for over 400 years. In the early 17th century, King James I sought to promote silk production by encouraging the planting of mulberry trees. However, most of those planted were black mulberries rather than the white species favoured by silkworms, and the project ultimately failed.

Local connection

The Mulberries in Broomfield Park are thought to descend from early London plantings connected to this silk industry experiment. In 2010, local historian Peter Brown planted this White specimen in the park to commemorate local resident Sir John Spencer.

He owned Broomfield House and surrounding land from 1599 until his death in 1610. Known as 'Rich Spencer', a former Lord Mayor of London, he was reputedly the richest man in England. He made much of his fortune from the silk trade with the eastern Mediterranean carried out through his membership of the Levant Company, which he subscribed to at its creation in 1592, and of course the silk moth caterpillar feeds on mulberry leaves.

Curiosity

Mulberry fruits ripen gradually over several weeks in August. The trees are rarely heavily pruned, as they tend to 'bleed' sap when cut, and are usually left to develop naturally into their distinctive, twisted, and picturesque forms.

Origin and introduction

Native to much of Europe, including the UK, as well as North Africa and western Asia. It is one of Britain’s oldest native trees, with a history stretching back to prehistoric times.

Description

A dark, evergreen tree with dense, needle-like leaves. It grows slowly but can live for thousands of years, often becoming hollow or multi-stemmed with age. Yew trees are dioecious, meaning male and female trees are separate – female trees bear bright red, fleshy 'arils' that contain a single seed.

Ecology

Provides dense cover for birds and mammals. All parts of the tree, except the red aril flesh, are poisonous to humans and livestock.

Uses and cultural notes

Yew has long been associated with churchyards, immortality, and death. Its tough, elastic wood was famously used to make medieval English longbows.

Local connection

2 veteran yews stand behind Broomfield House, believed by some to be 800 years old. Survivors from the formal 1600-1700’s Baroque garden layout. Both trees were reduced in height due to storm damage but remain impressive features of the park. The northern most yew is female and the tree closest to the house is male.

Curiosity

London’s oldest yew may be the Totteridge Yew in Barnet, thought to be about 2,000 years old. As the dendrologist Alan Mitchell observed, “Most trees look older than they are, except yews, which are even older than they look.”

Origin and introduction

An unusual evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean and western Europe, including Ireland. Known since classical antiquity and introduced to Britain in the 16th century.

Description

A small to medium-sized tree, 5 to 10 metres tall, with glossy green leaves. It produces small clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers in autumn, often at the same time as its round, red, orange, or yellow fruits are ripening from the previous year.

Ecology

The fruits, though somewhat mealy, are edible and rich in vitamin C. Birds enjoy them, and they can be used to make jams and marmalades.

Uses and cultural notes

Celebrated in Mediterranean culture, the Strawberry Tree is the national tree of Italy and has been depicted in poetry and art. In Spain and Portugal, its fruits are used to make strong liqueurs.

Curiosity

Its Latin name unedo means 'I eat only one' – a reference, according to Pliny the Elder, to the fruit’s bland flavour, though today it is valued for its colour and ornamental appeal.

Origin and introduction

Native to the mountains of Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, where it is a symbol of endurance and strength. It has been cultivated in Britain since the 17th century and is now a much-loved feature of historic landscapes.

Description

A majestic evergreen conifer that can reach 35 metres or more. When young, it is conical, but with age it develops broad, horizontal branches and a flat-topped crown. The foliage is dark green to bluish, borne in dense clusters. Large, barrel-shaped cones sit upright on the branches.

Ecology

Provides year-round shelter for birds and mammals. Its cones release seeds slowly over time, often remaining on the tree for several years.

Uses and cultural notes

The cedar was highly prized in the ancient world for its fragrant, rot-resistant wood, used in temples, ships, and palaces. It is still the national emblem of Lebanon and appears on its flag. In Britain, it became a fashionable estate tree in the 18th century and remains associated with grandeur and permanence.

Local connection

Often planted next to historic houses, such as in Forty Hall and here in Broomfield Park.

Curiosity

Because of its symbolic power, cedar wood was traditionally used for coffins in Egypt, including those of pharaohs.

Origin and introduction

Native to the river valleys and floodplains of the Caucasus, northern Iran, and the western Himalayas. It was introduced to Western Europe in the late 18th century (around 1784) and to Britain soon after. The Wingnut quickly became valued as a striking ornamental tree for large parks and estates, thriving in moist soils.

Description

A vigorous, broad-crowned deciduous tree that can reach 25 metres or more, with a wide-spreading habit and graceful, arching branches. The large, pinnate leaves – similar to those of the ash – give a lush, tropical appearance. In late spring and early summer, it produces drooping green catkins up to 50cm long, which later bear winged nuts in chains, giving the tree its common name.

Ecology

Prefers damp ground and often grows near water. Its dense canopy provides shade and cover for birds, while the catkins are visited by bees and other insects. Fallen leaves enrich the soil with organic matter.

Uses and cultural notes

Appreciated as a bold specimen or waterside tree in parkland landscapes. The timber is soft and seldom used commercially, but the species has been prized in horticulture for over 2 centuries for its distinctive fruit and rapid growth. It is sometimes used in arboreta as a relative of the walnut family (Juglandaceae).

Local connection

Broomfield Park’s Wingnut stands close to the ornamental lake, reflecting the tree’s preference for moist soils and echoing the park’s 18th- and 19th-century tradition of planting unusual exotic species near water features.

Curiosity

The Wingnut’s long chains of winged fruit were once used in Victorian table decorations and wreaths – when dried, they retain their form and pale green colour for many months.

Origin and introduction

A native British tree, widespread across Europe and long valued for its strength and flexibility.

Description

A tall tree, often 30 to 35 metres, with a broad crown and an airy, open canopy. Leaves are pinnate, usually with 7 to 13 leaflets. Black buds at the tips of twigs are a distinctive feature. In summer, clusters of winged seeds known as 'keys' hang from the branches.

Ecology

Ash supports a vast range of wildlife – more than 1,000 species of insects, lichens, and birds rely on it. However, in recent decades it has been severely threatened by ash dieback disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), which has devastated populations across Europe.

Uses and cultural notes

Ash wood is tough, springy, and easy to work, making it ideal for tool handles, sports equipment, furniture, and even traditional wagon frames. It was also once a favoured timber for making spear shafts.

Curiosity

In Norse mythology, the great world-tree Yggdrasil was said to be an ash, symbolising the connection between heaven, earth, and the underworld.

Origin and introduction

Planted as a community project, the orchard represents a modern contribution to Broomfield Park’s landscape. It contains over 100 fruit trees, including apples, pears, plums, and cherries.

Description

A productive and varied collection of fruit trees, with apples especially well represented – 44 different varieties are grown here. The trees are smaller than the great park specimens but contribute to seasonal beauty with blossom in spring and fruit in autumn.

Ecology

The orchard is a haven for pollinators, birds, and small mammals, and a living demonstration of how traditional orchards support biodiversity.

Uses and cultural notes

Provides both food and education, offering local residents the chance to enjoy heritage fruit varieties and learn about orchard care. It is also a social space, reinforcing the park’s role as a community hub.

Local connection

The Orchard holds various events during the year, including wassailing in January to wake up the trees and ensure a good harvest later in the year.

Curiosity

Many of the apples grown here are rare heritage varieties that are not often found in shops, preserving both biodiversity and culinary tradition.