Donkey Lane Community Orchard: Blossom

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Photo courtesy of Keith Webley

Photo courtesy of Keith Webley

It's the middle of March and already some garden trees in Chinnor are in blossom, either pink or white ornamental cherries with their delicate blooms which are even more noticeable because the trees are not yet in leaf. And already the Magnolias are showing their large buds ready to burst into spectacular flower to transform some lucky peoples' front gardens.I was surprised to discover that Magnolias are such an old family that they have been around for at least 20 million years. And that was before there were many flying insects such as bees to pollinate them, so they relied on the heavier beetles which had already evolved.

Of course all our native British broadleaved trees are flowering plants, and some have small greenish flowers that can easily be overlooked amongst the leaves. But there is one family which generally produces showy flowers and that is the Rose family. Perhaps the tree which is most associated with spring and the old festivals which marked the turning of the year, is the hawthorn with its abundant May blossom. Of the plants cultivated by man, as well as garden roses, this large family includes both apples and pears, as well as plums, cherries and almonds.

In England there used to be many customs associated with hawthorn blossom, and the cover of the book 'Chinnor in Camera' first published in 1988, shows a photograph of children holding their garlands on May Day around a century ago. Inside is the 'garlanding song' they sang as they went around the village. More recently towards the end of the last century, a May Fayre was revived at nearby Kingston Blount. A May King and Queen were chosen and school children displayed the different dances around the be-ribboned Maypole.

In Japan they celebrate 'Sakura', the name for the ornamental cherry blossom. Indeed since medieval times, by selection, artificial crossing and other methods, many cultivars with large blossoms have been developed specifically for the blossom viewing. To drink under a blooming wild cherry tree was a special custom called Hanami, said to have begun perhaps as far back as the 3rd century AD. Nowadays the 'cherry blossom front' is tracked rather like the weather with nightly public forecasts, as it moves northwards up the country. Blossoming begins as early as January in Okinawa and reaches Tokyo at the end of March or early April, before moving further northwards and into higher altitudes. People watch the forecasts carefully to plan their Hanami festivals, in which they go to parks and temples with their friends and family and sit under the trees, enjoy the views and eat and drink together often into the evening. Many public buildings like schools have cherry trees planted outside so everyone has a place near to where they live to celebrate the blossoming.

Here as part of the 'Sakura Cherry Tree Project', the Royal Horticultural Society is planning to plant more ornamental cherries at various RHS gardens. They aim to plant 6,500 trees over 100 sites throughout the UK, all of which will have good public access and an extended flowering season due to the cultivars chosen. The Wisley trees will be planted this autumn, in our nearest RHS garden.

This spring the National Trust announced a similar but even larger initiative, the 'Blossom Circle project'. They plan to plant many thousands of flowering trees over the next few years, with a target of 20 million by 2030. Circles will be created in many of their properties where they hope visitors will come and enjoy the sight of spring blossom - and of course it will be a wonderful resource for our endangered bees. There is already a #BlossomWatch on social media where you can share your blossom photos, and our nearby NT property Hughenden Manor has an existing orchard picnic area well worth a visit. They also have a walled garden there which contains a wonderful collection of named old apple varieties, as well as some local plums such as the' Aylesbury prune'.

Which brings me to the Donkey Lane Community Orchard now being looked after by 'Greening Chinnor'. Our first 'Blossom Day' was held in April 2019 and many people came to have a look around. There was a blossom trail for children to follow and some of the early findings of the research into the people who used to live there was revealed. Of course very sadly last year it wasn't possible to hold the event, although an earlier Wassail day had taken place in January 2020. Fingers crossed for future years when we can hold our very own Hanami festival and celebrate and enjoy this fleeting but beautiful spectacle.

Christine Davis 09/04/21

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