Varieties under threat
From its earliest years, the RHS cultivated a rich apple tree collection. The substantial orchard at its first official garden at Chiswick (1823–1903), was a living reference library for the identification of new fruit and the reliable growth of new apple trees.
Robert Thompson, the gardener in charge, painstakingly described each variety in his dedicated apple books. He helped nurserymen and gardeners choose varieties that would grow well and give a range of different flavours across the seasons.
However, by the late 1800s, British apple growers began to struggle against cheaper imported apples from North America, France, Australia and New Zealand. The number of apple varieties grown in the UK sharply declined as commercial growers prioritised apples that were cheaper to produce. At the same time, the expansion of towns and cities led to the loss of many small, local orchards.
This threat to a vital part of our food heritage was of great concern to the RHS. When its main garden moved from Chiswick to Wisley in 1903, the Society ensured that it included an extensive orchard. After the First World War, they put out appeals in newspapers and on the radio to recover ‘lost varieties’ of apples.
In recent years, the Wisley orchard has focused on varieties of dessert and cooking apples suited to growing in gardens rather than to commercial production. Across the country, the RHS gardens continue to nurture regional varieties such as the Devonshire ‘Poltimore Seedling’ grown at RHS Rosemoor and the ‘Braintree Seedling’ grown at RHS Hyde Hall.