Being a student with The Orchard Project has many benefits. One of them is being invited along to RHS Wisley for a tour that provides insight into a whole range of horticultural careers. This year, it really felt like we had been given the red-carpet treatment because we saw so many interesting parts of the site: the new Ellen Willmott memorial summerhouse; the redesigned veteran orchard; and state of the art new science centre, Hilltop.
There were 12 assorted students from our accredited orchard and forest gardening courses. Horticultural Engagement Manager, Lewis, and orchard manager, Ewa (more from her here) showed us how the design and management approach at Wisley demonstrates a meaningful shift by the RHS towards sustainability.
Picture caption: Ewa (wearing baseball cap) guides our students around the veteran orchard.
At Hilltop, we were lucky to spend some time with fruit expert, and absolute legend, Jim Arbury. He dealt with our many questions, including letting us know that to thin out peaches, you should clip them in half when they’re the size of hazelnuts. Normally, we would thin out by pulling off fruit, but this doesn’t work well with peaches because of their lack of stalks.
Jim told us about a recent visit to Montreuil’s fruit district (more about Paris’s fruit history here) and casually mentioned that the Almond cultivars ‘Robijn’ and ‘Ingrid’ are hybrids with peach antecedents. The peach theme continued as we were invited into the startlingly beautiful new library, where we learned from Gerards Herbal (1633 edition) that it’s better to eat your peach before the rest of your meal, but that they can loosen the belly and ‘ingender naughty humours’!
Picture caption: Some rare horticultural tomes in the new library at Hilltop.
Our students had a fantastic time at Wisley. Not only does it perfectly combine learning and great beauty, but it is powered by people who have an unmatched passion for plants – very much like our students.
CICO student Tanya said: “The face to face sessions have been so informative, educational and insightful. All the tutors have been really great and everyone has been so welcoming. Having never studied horticulture, the course has been an introduction into a new world.
“The visit to Wisley was amazing, and it was really great that they offered us student membership, which I’m planning to take up. I really think I’d like to work in the industry now, so I’m researching different options for part time work, such as running a commercial food growing venture.”
Booking has opened for our autumn training courses in both forest gardening and orchard management. If you feel inspired to continue your learning journey with us, then perhaps you’ll be joining us at Wisley next May!