Wirral Tree Wardens
Brimstage Orchard - the Orchard Book Ch. 1
Lord Derby is an excellent Victorian cooking apple, ready before Bramley’s Seedling. It has a rich, sharp flavour when cooked, making a delightful brisk puree. The juice has an excellent fresh "green" taste, balancing tangy acid and sweetness. The trees are very hardy, making Lord Derby an excellent choice for more exposed or colder sites. The trees will also grow well and produce healthy apples in damper regions of the country. It was raised in Stockport, Cheshire in 1862.
PollinationGroup 3: pollinates with William Crump, Worcester Pearmain and Grenadier
Cropping: Pick September - Stores until December
Spur bearer
B2, C1, C2, E2 and perhaps, D1
a Lord Derby (C1) setting fruit in early July 2015
B2 -Lord Derby
This is the first tree you see at the entrance to the orchard. It has had 3 years of winter and summer pruning and is now a manageable height with strong branches and good fruit.
The next years pruning will concentrate on limiting the strong vertical shoots to the 5th outward-facing bud
C1 - Lord Derby
Another strong growing tree. It has also had 3 years of pruning, summer and Winter and is now a manageable height with strong branches and good fruit. The next years pruning will concentrate on limiting the strong vertical shoots to the 5th outward-facing bud
C2 - Lord Derby.
This is a strong and well balanced tree, fully pruned over 3 winters and summers. Good yield: easy to access.
The next years pruning will concentrate on limiting the strong vertical shoots to the 5th outward-facing bud
E2 - Lord Derby
A much smaller, stumpy tree with very strong growth. It was marked on the 2011 plan of the orchard as "broken Apple tree"
It has made a good recovery.
Next year's plan is to let it form an open goblet shape, allowing a bit more height
D1 - Lord Derby??
this was a newly planted tree - a present to the orchard from Pete of the Friends of Burton Manor Gardens. It is a sturdy, small tree of less than 1.5 metres. Its first fruit, this year, is the size and shape of a Lord Derby, but much more yellow.
Next year encourages strong vertical growth and the selection of three strong laterals
