Apples Cybele, Meridian and Charles Ross, and fig Doree

[Nes]

Just placed an order for two apples (cybele and meridian) and a fig (doree) from dtb - half price this weekend, presumably because they should have been planted by now. Also getting a free apple tree (Charles Ross) and carrot seeds from them just for spending £x Planning on training the apples as stepovers in the garden, and putting the fig in a large sunk pot at the front of the house to get some shelter and sun.

Has anyone got experience with any of these varieties? Did try to get info about taste and reliability, but would be good to hear from anyone here, a bit late I know!

[FB.]

Meridian was about average growth rate and fairly tolerant of low-fertility soil.
It had good flavour even in poor dull/wet seasons.
Seemed to be reliable cropping and a good yield.
Quite good resistance to scab and mildew.
No special resistance to canker.
Slightly prone to codling moth and apple sawfly in some years - not as attractive to codling as Scrumptious, Ellison's Orange or Discovery, but was next in line if the codling had run out of the aforementioned crops to feed on.

Meridian was very prone to woolly aphid - it was like a magnet! I had to get rid of it because I just couldn't keep it clear of woolly aphid and the mess they made of it (split, twisted and brittle branches). However, judging by others on this forum, woolly aphid seems to be unique to my area (Cambridgeshire) and not very common elsewhere.

[orangepippin]

Cybele is a nice early/mid season variety. It is in the style of Worcester Pearmain, one of its grand-parents - but probably a better all round apple. I've had a tree for some time but not really had much success with it. I think vigour is on the slightly weak side.

I agree with FB about Meridian, a very good variety, good flavour and easy to grow.

[boundtothesoil]

Also getting a free apple tree (Charles Ross)

I used to have a Charles Ross tree on M26 rootstock. Unfortunately it died of canker after eight years.
The tree never grew more than five feet high and never produced more than twenty apples a year. These tended to be very large (small grapefruit size), crisp, not particularly juicy but fairly sweet and pleasant tasting if eaten within a few days of picking; subsequently becoming rather soft and woolly.

It used to be a very popular garden variety in the first half of the C20th. The skin is quite tough, but the fruit seemed resistant to scab in my part of West Wales. All in all not a bad variety, but it wouldn't be in my top twenty!

[Nes]

Thanks for the feedback!
Are there no fig growers out there who grow something other than the fairly common brunswick or brown turkey?!

[smallblueplanet]

I'm growing a Hardy Chicago, last year it developed small fruits but unsurprisingly nothing came of them. Try link below for more fig info:

Figs 4 Fun Varietal Information

Doree Additional Information

and also if you read French

Ppinires Baud. Une spcialit, le figuier. Notre catalogue de figuiers : Goutte d'or

[FB.]

Thanks for the feedback!
Are there no fig growers out there who grow something other than the fairly common brunswick or brown turkey?!

Figs need a better climate than most parts of the UK can offer. In less favourable areas they can sometimes be successful on sunny sheltered walls. Even in this area, which is usually good for grapes and figs, last year the figs didn't get much bigger than cherries, and grapes no bigger than peas (and also failing to ripen).

Another problem is, apart from Brown Turkey and maybe the odd unusual variety, figs are only reliably hardy down to -5'C. After that there is risk of shoots, branches or even the whole plant being killed.
My Brown Turkey hasn't been damaged by the cold winters of recent years despite one day early in 2012 where we didn't get above -5'C daytime and were -13'C for two consecutive nights.

[Pineberry]

Check Bavarian Violetta fom marshalls, I got one. It is supposed to be hardy to -20c

To ripen fig in this climate you need earliest ripening varieties
Check this link, scroll down for the list of varieties

what is the earliest ripening variety for mild summer climates - Fig Forum - GardenWeb

If you want I can send you next year cuttings of my Bavarian Violetta fig to root it. This year I gave away all I had now.

You can easily grow them in greenhouse or even inside. If outside do not expect breba crop to ripen, it will never happen to cold winters, only for indoors.

[Pineberry]

One of the earliest is Ronde de Boudreaux

And by the way figs likes its roots restricted and trimmed every few years. That way they fruit better. In the ground they grow massive root system so do not plant it near the building.

[veggiechicken]

More on figs here http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...fig_67676.html
I had quite a lot last year, despite the weather - on a brown Turkey grown from cuttings.

[BUFFS]

Figs need a better climate than most parts of the UK can offer. In less favourable areas they can sometimes be successful on sunny sheltered walls. Even in this area, which is usually good for grapes and figs, last year the figs didn't get much bigger than cherries, and grapes no bigger than peas (and also failing to ripen).

Another problem is, apart from Brown Turkey and maybe the odd unusual variety, figs are only reliably hardy down to -5'C. After that there is risk of shoots, branches or even the whole plant being killed.
My Brown Turkey hasn't been damaged by the cold winters of recent years despite one day early in 2012 where we didn't get above -5'C daytime and were -13'C for two consecutive nights.

the brown turkey has proved a tough cookie,two winters ago we had temps that stayed around -16 for nearly 2 weeks and it sat on the patio,in a tub,no mollycoddling and it just shrugged it off,it was one of those "just pay postage" offers that come along every so often,i will be watching it now its in new g/house,there seem to be loads of baby fruits forming,so fingers crossed....