Adding an orchard is one way to add character and charm to your garden. An orchard adds an element of wholesomeness and balance to a garden and there are countless ways to create your personalized version of this old-world necessity. Orchards are a sustainable source of food for families and neighbourhoods but they can be more than just a productive source of wholesome untreated food, they can be a space that nurtures and soothes the mind after a busy day or a hub for family and neighbours in your yard.
The first step in planning an orchard is to select a sunny protected location to grow your plants. The more sun your trees will receive, the better they perform. Remember that the trees you plant will also cast shade, so it is important to place the taller growing varieties on the North end of the Orchard and the shorter trees on the South side. Be open-minded in this endeavour, consider the front yard, the entire back yard, or a neglected side yard. If your space is small, don’t despair, there are many solutions to fitting many fruit trees in a small space. The orchard can also double as a children’s play area, or a space to hang out or even a chicken run. When your location has been selected, it is time to consider the boundaries of the orchard.
By enclosing your orchard on some or all sides you will create a cozy retreat-like space. This can be done with a fence, a hedge, or better yet, why not use an espalier wall of apples or a kiwi vine on a trellis to create screening to the outside? An enclosure around your orchard will give it the comfortable feel of a room. I like to make the entrance a focal point with an arbour, or some flagstone underfoot, or a feature rock set up like a pillar or any other way to signal to your visitor that they are entering a special space. Within the orchard, you can create a comfortable space for visiting or resting. In our orchard, we have a picnic table under a large pergola covered with grape vines. It makes a special space to spend time in throughout the year while the overhead cover creates a green leafy ceiling.
It is important to plan the flow of traffic through the orchard. I like to have at least one main path that will accommodate a wheelbarrow or quad (or bigger if your orchard will be large). From the the main path you could have smaller paths leading to different areas. If the orchard is at the end of your property, have the path ends in a restful arbour or a focal point like a water feature. The trees on either side of your path will guide the eye down to the focal point for an effective composition. If your orchard leads to another part of the yard, consider taking the main path through an arbour or gate to create a sense of mystery in the garden. In the world of garden design there are so many ways to personalize your space and this also applies to your garden paths. You can use a combination of mown grass, flagstone, recycled concrete, crushed gravel, wood chips, and countless other materials to create your own look. The path that you lay out creates a mind journey for the one that walks it before they’ve traversed the first step.
Fruit trees have much to offer in terms of beauty, from early spring blossoms and the buzzing of bees, to summer fruits that start to blush as they ripen, to the bounty of autumn when the branches are laden with fragrant fruit, to the quiet winter time when the naked branches, studded with buds, showing promise of a fruitful season ahead. The fruit trees in your orchard will act as the main characters in the space you create. In a follow-up article, I plan to help you succeed with fruit trees by describing the best-growing practices to employ for your orchard to thrive.
