Blossom time
Beautiful delicate blossom on fruit trees is visible across Kent in Springtime, due to the county’s status as the UK’s top fruit producer. Kent is traditionally known as the "Garden of England", as it has an abundance of fruit trees and orchards, and the blossom is usually in full bloom from mid-April onwards.
Blossom can vary from creamy white to bright pink in colour, and everything in between. Generally, fruiting cherries and apples have white blossom, while the ornamental cherry varieties are coloured pink. Blossom time can be brief, so the blooms can often be fleeting to spot, depending on weather conditions, so it’s recommended to get out at the earliest opportunity to make the most of the beautiful sight.
Despite a decline in production during the 20th century, due to cheaper foreign imports, the county of Kent is the biggest cherry producer in the UK, growing 90% of the UK’s entire cherry crop. Kent's fertile well-drained soil and relatively warm climate makes it an ideal location for fruit production.
The Garden of England
Cherries were first introduced to the UK by the Romans and a species of wild cherry was grown for many centuries. But it was King Henry VIII who was responsible for both the large-scale cultivation of cherries, and the title of the “Garden of England” for Kent.
The Tudor monarch was said to have enjoyed the fruit whilst in Flanders, and ordered his fruiterer Richard Harrys to plant the first royal cherry orchards in 1533, in a total of 105 acres located in Teynham, between Sittingbourne and Faversham. This is marked by a plaque, and many of the local street names reflect the area’s heritage, which is still home to many orchards today.
Japanese blossom-viewing
"Hanami" is a traditional festival in Japan, when people take time to experience and enjoy the spring blossom. The word Hanami translates as “flower viewing” and involves families gathering to walk around orchards or parks, and hold picnics under the boughs of trees laden with delicate blossom.
The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham, has brought this Japanese tradition to Kent, for their Hanami Festival on Saturday 13 April. The blossom will be out on their cherry trees, and a variety of Japanese cultural activities will be available. Brogdale is set in 150 acres and has over 3,000 varieties of fruit trees. It’s worth a visit any time of year, from Spring blossom, through the Summer and Autumn fruiting and harvesting seasons.
Where else to see blossom across Kent
Many of the historic houses across the county have stunning blossom displays.
One such example is Sissinghurst Castle, home to Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson’s classic English garden, designed as a series of rooms in the early 20th Century. It has over 1000 fruit trees in its orchard, including cherry, apple and crab-apple. Vita and Harold always intended the orchard to be half garden, half wilderness, and planted roses against the boughs of old trees. The property has been in the care of the National Trust since 1962.
Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn in the 16th Century, where she grew up and later courted King Henry VIII, becoming the second of his six wives. Today the Castle boasts Anne Boleyn’s Orchard, where a wide variety of apples and pears grow. The orchard was planted in the early 20th Century for William Waldorf Astor, the richest man in America, who purchased the Castle in 1903 and spent a fortune restoring it. The trees are full of creamy white blossom in the Spring, especially the Encore variety of apple.
Cherry Downs is the name given to Lenham Orchard, near Maidstone. It is an open access picnic site with wide spreading views across the Greensand Ridge and across the rolling Kent Downs. It is one of 15 community orchards prioritised for preservation by the “Kent Orchards for Everyone” initiative. There are 28 Morello (sour cherry) trees surrounded by apple, pear and plum trees. There are picnic tables and information boards to welcome visitors to this tranquil spot.
Across the countryside, orchards and blossom can still be seen, especially in the Kent Downs. Nowadays, many of the county’s commercial fruit orchards are covered in poly-tunnels, creating ribbons of white plastic across the landscape. The increase in wet weather due to climate change has meant that the crops require better protection from the heavy rains that can damage the fruits.
But the blossom is still visible, and many of the smaller traditional orchards don’t cover their trees, or at least not until the fruit appears, so a tour around the countryside in Springtime should be rewarded with the beautiful sight of blossom, even if only fleeting, with the promise of the fruit to come. Why not come and explore the stunning natural heritage of Kent, the Garden of England?
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