Inspiring and practical, this is a lovely resource for anyone looking to grow fruit trees or start an orchard, whether in your garden or as a community project. For centuries, orchards have been a compelling and important part of our landscape. The sight of a fruit tree, blushing in blossom in the spring, and then laden with fresh fruit in the summer and autumn, can be truly enchanting, inspiring folklore and art. Not only do orchards provide bountiful fruit for families and communities, they are also attractive to pollinators such as bees, and make a wonderful habitat for birds. There are many ways of incorporating orchard living into your lifestyle, no matter how busy or short of space you are. Written by esteemed horticulturalist Naomi Slade, this gloriously illustrated resource illuminates the possibilities and enables you to make it a reality - whether you have a few fruit trees already or have always wanted an orchard of your own. An Orchard Odyssey shows you how to plant and care for your trees and suggests fruit trees suitable for different spaces. It also covers the benefits of orchard for conservation and biodiversity, orchard heritage, and the role of fruit trees in garden and landscape design. The guide promotes the 'five trees' principle of orchards, and encourages the reader to embrace the orchards in a way that is personal to them. Packed with practical ideas and inspiration, let this delightful book encourage you to re-engage with tree fruit in new ways: look at it the right way and everyone can have an orchard.

This gloriously illustrated book is a great resource for fruit-lovers everywhere.

About the Author
Naomi Slade is a freelance gardening journalist and author who writes for The Telegraph, RHS The Garden and Country Living, among others. Her love of orchards started in her family orchard in Wales, where she has over 85 different named-variety apple trees from which she still produces apples juice.

Reviews
For over 30 years I have grown ornamentals with never a thought for planting fruit trees, until now. Naomi combines a dream of yore with a challenge for the future. Count me in. * Roy Lancaster, broadcaster, gardener and author *
Good to see both home growing and commercial considerations covered. Well done! * Martin Crawford, Agroforestry Research *
This delightful book takes us on a sensual stroll through the orchard landscape, conveying both the romance and the practicalities of growing fruit trees. * Ben Pike, author of The Fruit Tree Handbook *
From scrumping, hedgerow fruits and King Henry VIII to the random seedling cider orchards of New America, this is a major contribution to pomology, offering education, history and entertainment. * Tom Burford, author of Apples of North America *
Naomi Slade offers fresh thoughts on growing fruit in the smaller gardens of many modern grow your own gardeners and suggests that the way forward may be for community orchards. She provides planting advice, cultivation and maintenance techniques, and then launches into ways to use and preserve the fruits of your fruit-growing. * Barbara Segall, The Herb Society *
A horticultural fairytale, it also provides a practical roadmap to getting started - even in the increasingly tiny modern garden. * James Wong, ethnobotanist, TV presenter, garden designer and writer *



Book Information
ISBN 9780857843265
Author Naomi Slade
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Green Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC