Super slim apples
Being able to pick fresh fruit from the garden is one of the greatest joys a gardener can have. But for many of us, it’s not so easy to grow the fruit trees we grew up with - not for lack of experience or knowhow, but for sheer lack of space.
However, where there’s a will there is always a way! Thanks to the extraordinary breeding success of the ‘super slim’ Ballerina apple range, even the tiniest garden or courtyard space can grow enough fresh apples to keep the fruit bowl constantly topped up for many weeks of autumn.
Ballerina apples grow with virtually no lateral branches. The fruit clusters close to the trunk, forming a fruiting column. This not only looks stunning, but also means that Ballerina apples can be grown in a container on a patio or tiny deck, in the sunny corner of a town house courtyard or as a pair of pillars either side of an entranceway. What’s more, they’re easy to care for, requiring almost no pruning.
If there’s a narrow garden space alongside a driveway or path, consider a line of Ballerina apples under-planted with your favourite flowers, or go all-edible and plant strawberries for a great, productive use of what otherwise would have been un-used space in your small garden.
Ballerina apples fruit prolifically at a very young age, if allowed. While it is generally a good idea to allowing for stronger root and shoot establishment by removing any fruit from very young trees, Ballerina apples will support an abundant harvest as early as two years after planting.
Three varieties of Ballerina apples are available. Ballerina® Bolero is smothered in attractive white tinged pink spring blossom then shiny green eating apples with a golden blush. Ballerina® Polka has medium sized round fruit with green skin. A red blush develops in areas exposed to the sun. The flesh is crisp and juicy with a very good flavour. Ballerina® Waltz has medium to large round-conical fruit with a solid red skin on exposed areas. Crisp and juicy with a slight tang these varieties are ready to harvest around March and suitable for eating fresh, dried or cooked.
With super slim Ballerina apples there’s no excuse not to grow your own fresh garden fruit.
Feature article from Waimea Nurseries, Nelson. For further information and more inspirational planting ideas, visit Waimea Nurseries
3-Jun-2013
Ballerina Polka in pot
Plants for . . .
