Training apples and pears on a wall, fence or tunnel is a happy blend of use and beauty. The framework is gently worked into shape earlier in the season, while the tissue is still delicately flexible, but now is the time to enhance future productivity of trained apples and pears by summer pruning, which involves shortening wayward longer growths arising from the main framework of branches. Head back such shoots of the current season's growth to four or five buds. This will encourage the pruned shoots to form fruiting buds, rather than meander on with yet more superfluous foliage.
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An elegant country house that comes with 63 gloriously unspoilt acres of Devon, and 400 fascinating years of historyPenny Churchill takes a look at the beautiful Hudscott Manor.
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The flat Mick Jagger shared with Keith Richards, and more Chelsea-themed fun: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 21, 2025The Rolling Stones lived in squalor in the days when Chelsea was rougher around the edges — find out how much they paid for the privilege, and how much they'd need today
