HADDINGTON GARDEN NEWS
Bountiful Fruit & Veg
October 2022
This summer has seen another bumper season for fruit and vegetables grown in the Pleasance Garden. The numerous apple trees have been literally groaning with apples, and there have been good crops once again of plums, pears, medlars and mulberries.
The only slight disappointment has been the yield from the fig trees, which were severely pruned last year. We hope they will have recovered fully by next year.
Also contributing to the Garden’s yield have been the potatoes and beans from the elevated planters installed this year. These, plus the products from the orchard, have been available for sale in the Apple House and have proved popular with visitors.
An honesty box in the Apple House has helped contribute to the running costs of the Garden overall.
A Royal Garden
2022
The death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II had a special sad resonance for the Garden and all those involved with it. The Royal Family are no strangers to St Mary’s Pleasance and have visited frequently over the years.
The Queen herself first visited in 1973 and planted an apple tree which bears fruit every year. Then the Queen Mother came and planted a mulberry tree in 1976. It too produces berries in abundance every summer. Finally, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited on 6th July 2007.
The Garden will be planting a tree in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh in November 2022. No doubt a commemoration planting for Queen Elizabeth will be on the agenda too when the Trustees next meet.
In due course we hope that King Charles and the Queen Consort will find their way to St Mary’s Pleasance as part of one of their tours north of the Border. We look forward to that visit immensely when it comes.