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An short guide to the history and trees in the Leith Links Children's Orchard. Edinburgh.
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Leith Links Children’s Orchard Map 2013
The Leith Links Children’s Orchard contains a weird and wonderful mixture of Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries and Damsons. In total there are 81 fruittrees in the orchard. Some varieties you might find in the shops but there are many you won’t. Some are very rare, historic, old ones. Some trees area mystery even to the people who have been trying to keep track them all! Around three sides of the orchard is an “edible hedge” that contains red andblack currants, raspberries and brambles, gooseberries, elderberries, hawthorn, honeysuckle and rowan.
Row Tree type, in order from south perimeter fence Row Tree type, in order from south perimeter fence
1 Crab ApplePear “Invincible”Empty
6. Plum ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’Apple ‘Worcester Pearmain’Crab Apple ‘Harry Baker’Apple ‘James Grieve’Apple ‘Rajka’Cherry ‘Sunburst’Pear ‘Invincible’
2 Apple ‘Fiesta’Apple ‘Red Devil’Cherry ‘Sunburst’Apple ‘Fiesta’
7 Damson ‘Merryweather’Plum ‘Czar’Apple ‘Rajka’Apple ‘Diamond’Apple ‘Red Devil’UnknownPlum ‘Czar’
3 Apple ‘Ashmead’s Kernel’Apple ‘Herefordshire Russet’Apple ‘Herefordshire Russet’Apple ‘Red Devil’Cherry ‘Sunburst’
8. Plum ‘Oulins Gage’Apple ‘Ashmeads Kernel’Apple ‘Winston’UnknownApple ‘Diamond’Pear ‘Snowden Queen’+ Pear ‘‘Doyenne du Comice’ offset at boundary
4 Apple ‘Adam’s Pearmain’Cherry ‘Sunburst’Pear ‘Invincible’Pear ‘Invincible’Apple ‘Winston’
9 Apple ‘Adams Pearmain’Apple ‘Worcester Pearmain’UnknownUnknownCherry ‘Sunburst’
5 Plum ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’Apple ‘Adam’s Pearmain’Cherry ‘Sunburst’Pear ‘Invincible’Pear ‘Invincible’Apple ‘Winston’Unknown Possibly Plum ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’+ Pear ‘‘Doyenne du Comice’ offset at boundary
10 Pear ‘Invincible’Apple ‘Adam’s Pearmain’Apple ‘Adam’s Pearmain’Apple ‘Rajka’Empty
Row Tree type, in order from south perimeter fence Row Tree type, in order from south perimeter fence
11 UnknownApple ‘Grenadier’Plum ‘Oulins Gage’UnknownApple ‘James Grieve’ + Pear ‘‘Doyenne du Comice’ x2 offset at boundary
15 Pear ‘Snowden Queen’Apple ‘Pyg Aderyn’Apple ‘St Cecilia’Apple ‘Diamond’
12 Apple ‘Winston’Plum ‘Oulins Gage’Pear ‘Snowden Queen’Unknown + Pear ‘‘Doyenne du Comice’ x2 offset at boundary
16 Apple ‘Cox Cymraeg’Pear ‘Snowden Queen’
13 Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)Apple ‘Herefordshire Russet’UnknownUnknown
17 Crab Apple ‘Harry Baker’
14 Apple ‘St Cecilia’Crab Apple ‘Harry Baker’Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)Apple ‘Grenadier’
Who can take the fruit?
The Orchard is planted on land owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and although it is fenced off, anyone can visit the orchard at any time. For this reasonanyone is welcome to make use of the fruit that grows in the orchard. 2013 was the first year when Greener Leith received photos from people showing offwhat they had cooked using fruit picked from the orchard.
If you do pick fruit from the orchard please try to leave some for other people if possible. Please remember that the orchard is conceived as an educationalresource for local children to learn about food, fruit and biodiversity.
History
The orchard was planted in April 2010. At least one class from most local schools helped to plant the trees, along with BTCV and Greener Leith volunteers.The fire brigade even helped to water the trees. The funding was provided by a £10,000 grant from the People’s Post Code Lottery Trust.
Since then, the Orchard has been looked after by local volunteers and council staff. We aim to manage it for wildlife, so the grass is cut far less frequently in theorchard. At least three volunteer work days happen each year to try to keep it free of litter and well maintained. We’re also very grateful for the ongoing support ofthe Royal Botanic Garden Edible Gardening project, whose staff and volunteers have used the growing trees to provide free fruit pruning lessons. BTCVvolunteers have also been back to help maintain the orchard.
In 2012, the council upgraded the cycle path between Leith and Portobello which meant that the orchard was cut into two sections. Despite, this disruption fewtrees needed to be moved. In 2013, Greener Leith worked with two local artists, Fraser Gray and Richie Cumming, to paint a mural on the back wall of theorchard.
Since the orchard was first planted in 2010, 11 trees have died for one reason or another, and although most of them have been replaced, the fact that anumber of the trees have been moved or replaced is the main reason why there is such a diversity of trees. It is also why some are listed on the map as“unknown.”
Interesting trees you might find…
Apple James GrieveThis is the most local apple variety in the Orchard, and it is said to have been first bred in Edinburgh some time before 1893.Apple GrenadierThis historic variety is an early cooking apple.. Before the supermarket era the choice of cooking apples was wider,, with a whole range of cooking applevarieties grown, each with their own characteristics and season. Chief amongst the early cooking apples is Grenadier, which ripens by midAugust in the UK.Pear Snowdon QueenA rare variety from Wales. Four old trees were rediscovered around the Veynol Estate in Snowdonia in the 1980’s. They have a distinctive “rosewater” aroma,and they also reportedly do better than English and French pears in colder, wetter climates. Perfect for Scotland then.Apple Ashmeads KernelThis variety has been around for at least two centuries. It is not the most attractive apple as it fairly small, green and often misshapen. But it’s long livedpopularity is said to be linked to it’s distinctive flavour likened by some to “pear drops.”Plum CzarThis variety was named in 1874 by an English fruit enthusiast Richard Hogg, as it’s first fruiting coincided with a visit from the Russian Czar. It’s a hardy plum,which is good for us, and fruits relatively early.
For more informaiton or to get involved in the Children’s Orchard see www.greenerleith.org.uk or email [email protected]
