The RHS Midlands Fruit Group
The Group is an organisation of amateur and professional fruit enthusiasts which is dedicated to all fruit growers in the Midlands of the UK but open to anyone at all interested in fruit growing, in particular apples, pears, cherries and soft fruit. Its aim reflects the objects of the RHS with respect to fruit growing, to encourage and advance the art, science and practice of fruit growing in all its aspects.
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The group is a subgroup of the RHS Fruit Group established in 1945 based at RHS Wisley, Surrey, UK. The Royal Horticultural Society was established in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London and has over 500,000 members. It maintains extensive orchards and collections of other fruit at Wisley, Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon and smaller collections at Hyde Hall in Essex, a new garden, Bridgewater, is being established near Manchester. For further details of the RHS see
www.rhs.org.uk
https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/pdfs/about-the-rhs/mission-and-strategy/past-annual-reports/rhs-annual-review-2014-15-low-res
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to all members of the RHS at a fee of £7-00 per year but guests are welcome to join the email bulletin distribution list free of charge and to attend meetings but RHS admission fees may be chargeable for admission to RHS gardens and to other meetings.
For further details see FG membership leaflet Jan 2017.pdf
or membership application form Membership application 2017.pdf
Enquiries may also be addressed to membership@thefruitgroup.org.uk
FRUIT GROUP ORCHARD VISITS
Several meetings and visits of the Fruit Group members and guests to areas of interest to fruit growers are held throughout the year and throughout the UK. Some of these visits are to gardens or orchards not normally accessible to the general public. Talks on fruit growing topics are held several times a year at RHS Wisley.
FRUIT TREE GRAFTING and SCION EXCHANGE 2019
A free grafting workshop and scion exchange with expert tuition is held on the second Saturday in March at a professional fruit tree nursery near Pershore or at The National Trust Garden Canons Ashby Northamptonshire
http://walcotnursery.co.uk/
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/canons-ashby
EVENTS and VISITS 2020
The visits programme will resume when Covid19 restrictions permit. For further details please contact as below
eMAIL NEWS BULLETIN and DISCUSSION GROUP
A free email bulletin is distributed frequently for members and guests to discuss fruit growing problems and issues and raise awareness of current topics. See below under NEWS BULLETINS
Twitter. You can follow the main on a daily basis on Twitter:
@TheFruitGroup
RHS Fruit Goup Newsletter
A Newsletter is published by the Wisley based section and distributed to all RHS Fruit Group members several times a year.
FOR SOME RECENT eMAIL NEWS BULLETINS SEE (files listed at bottom of page):
July 9th 2020.pdf Talk by Dr. William Wolmer of Blackmoor Estates on Fruit growing at Blackmoor
and a webtalk by Jim Arbury (RHS) on unusual fruit
Oct 3rd 2020.pdf Numerous topics and queries raised by members.
January 14th 2017.pdf Woughton on the Green Community Orchard, Apple storage at Flintham Hall,
Adrian's Orchard
Eddy Vets 2016.pdf Eddy Vet's Orchard at Heist op den Berg Belgium
Europom 2016.pdf Europom 2016 in LUXEMBOURG and Comumity Orchard at Heist op den Berg
Dec 29th 2014.pdf The largest apple tree in Sweden, Europom 2014, Progress at Lyveden NT
Feb 5th 2015.pdf Royal Warrant for Walcot, Large Pear Tree at Cubbington and HS2, Vitaimn C and Apple, Mobile Juicing, Planting a Community Orchard at Lowdham
See the above topics listed in file list at bottom of page.
EXHIBITING AT FRUIT SHOWS
Membership includes some of the top exhibitors at RHS shows and visits are arranged to their gardens from time to time.
For an example of a member's work as exhibited at an RHS show please see:
For further information please contact John A. Beswick
(Chairman RHS Fruit Group Midlands Branch)
01604 403115
07723959463
johnabeswick@aol.com
or membership@thefruitgroup.org.uk