Boston Flora

Tag: pomology

  • Saturday, April 14, 9:30 am – 11:00 am – New England Orchard Revival: Resurrecting the Heirloom Apple

    Bringing your old apple tree back to life and fruitful production will require vision, a bit of thoughtful commitment, tasteful pruning, much needed but constrained fertilizing and dedicated, knowledgeable seasonal management. This informative and entertaining presentation will touch on New England’s tradition of apple production, practical lessons in heirloom revival, new disease resistant and low impact varieties and some tastings of recently developed varieties to help you consider if apples will be included in your garden design.

    Peter Jentsch has been planting, studying and tasting apples for the past 30 years. His passion for pomology and the animals that fertilize fruit trees as host plants has guided his career as Director of the Hudson Valley Research Laboratory and faculty entomologist at the College of Ag and Life Sciences at Cornell University. He will speak at Hollister House Garden, 300 Nettleton Hollow Road in Washington, Connecticut on Saturday, April 14 from 9:30 – 11. HHG Members $30; Non-Members $35. Register online at https://hollisterhousegarden.org/events/new-england-orchard-revival-resurrecting-heirloom-apple/

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  • Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Pruning for Fruit Production

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden demonstration/workshop on Saturday, March 28 from 10 – 3 (snow date Sunday, March 29) will focus on the specifics of pruning stone and pome fruit trees and some small fruits, including cane fruits and ribes. Unlike ornamental woody plants, pruning for fruit is a special science that is designed to maximize fruit production. Learn the principles of pruning for shape, size and, most importantly, fruit production. Watch a structural pruning demonstration on newly planted fruit trees. Semi-dwarf orchard trees, including mature and newly planted trees, will be available for pruning. The workshop will take place offsite and participants should dress warmly and bring pruners and a bag lunch. $75 for BBG members, $85 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/pruning-for-fruit-production-pome-and-stone-fruit-trees-2/?instance_id=3300.

    Steve McKay is the former Grape and Small Fruit Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in eastern New York State. He has a B.S. in entomology from U.C. Davis and a M.S. in pomology. He own Micosta, a fruit nursery located in Hudson, NY. He specializes in traditional and unusual fruit tree and small fruits.

  • Thursday, May 3, 7:00 pm – Backyard Apples

    The visual experience of flowering fruit trees in the home landscape is surpassed only by the delicious variety of summer and fall fruits which they produce. Growing apples successfully can be a horticultural challenge, but it can be done! Dr. Wes Autio will present a program at Elm Bank on Thursday, May 3 beginning at 7 pm  on how to grow apples in the home landscape. Varieties, root stocks, young-tree care, nutrition, pruning, training, and pest control will be covered.

    Wes Autio grew up in a rural/tourist part of western Maine and received his B.S. degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Pomology from UMass. In 1985, he joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts. He currently serves as the UMass Fruit Program Leader and Coordinator of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture’s Fruit & Vegetable Crops Program. He regularly interacts with tree-fruit farmers and the many individuals interested in tree fruit in the landscape. His research focuses on apple and peach rootstocks and controlling growth of apple trees with mechanical and hormonal approaches.  Photo from Through a Glass, Darkly. Free, but registration recommended at www.masshort.org.