The Christmas Orchard

The Christmas Orchard was planted in December 1974 and was the preserve of Julia who assembled a small collection of historic apples with an emphasis on those grown in the Marches. There is a striking contrast between the straight paths, each offering tantalising vistas and the four quarters which offer a dazzling sequence from the swathes of bulbs and fruit blossom in the spring to long grass, wildflowers and roses in the summer to the fruit laden branches in the autumn. Julia’s ashes are contained in the marble urn resting beneath a quince tree from the Oman garden in Victorian Oxford.