Grow your own delicious strawberries. Planted before the end of July, you will reap your first harvest this summer! This collection consists of 24 summer fruiting strawberry plants, 12 each of the following: A Wood Nymph Pomona Encircled by a Garland of Fruit, Studio of Frans Snyders, 17th century. Source: Christie’s. Pomona ( / p ə ˈ m oʊ n ə/ ⓘ, [1] Latin: [poːˈmoːna]) was a goddess of fruitful abundance and plenty in ancient Roman religion and myth. Her name comes from the Latin word pomum, "fruit", specifically orchard fruit. Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. Unlike many other Roman goddesses and gods, she does not have a Greek counterpart, though she is commonly associated with Demeter. She watches over and protects fruit trees and cares for their cultivation. She was not actually associated with the harvest of fruits itself, but with the flourishing of the fruit trees. In artistic depictions she is generally shown with a platter of fruit or a cornucopia.

During the Pomona Festival, orchard owners and farmers pay homage to Pomona by adorning their orchards with garlands of flowers and colorful ribbons. The festivities commence with a grand procession, where individuals present offerings of apples and other harvest fruits to Pomona’s sacred altar. a b Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.118. ISBN 978-0-520-92054-5. Romans also organized the festival of Pomona for the 1 st of November, which many have linked with the development of Halloween’s date today. During the festival, Romans made offerings of nuts and apples to the gods, and thanked them for protecting the harvest. In fact, many of the Halloween traditions of today are still associated with apples, including apple bobbing and toffee apples, which bear resemblance to Pomona’s sacred fruits. Fruit Tree Feed (or blood, fish and bone when growing organically) is again ideal for feeding during the year in early spring and early summer, although for strawberries I recommend using a seaweed feed such as Grow Your Own Seaweed Fertiliser. As with fruit trees watering is critical and just because soft fruit plants are smaller this does not mean they need any less water! Pomona Has Appeared in Art and Popular Culture Monna Pomona, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864. Source: Tate Gallery, London.Pomona’s expertise in caring for fruit trees has been a source of inspiration for botanists and gardeners alike. Walter Sheppard, Marina Meixner (2003). "Apis mellifera pomonella, a new honey bee subspecies from Central Asia" (PDF). Apidologie. 4 (34): 367–375. doi: 10.1051/apido:2003037 . Retrieved 13 January 2023. objects we also offer a variety of customizable contemporary designs in multiple materials, colors, The most widely grown early dessert apple in the UK, raised in Essex c1949. Bright scarlet fruits. Crisp and juicy with a distinctive flavour. Stores very well for an early variety. Resistant to scab and mildew. Can be grown throughout the UK. Season: late Aug - Sept. One simple application at planting time is all that is required. Once you have used this amazing product you will wonder how you ever managed to grow your plants without it!

Pomona’s beauty and significance as a goddess have captured the imagination of artists throughout the ages. In contemporary art, references to Pomona can be found in various forms, including paintings, sculptures, and illustrations. Her influence can be seen in botany and gardening practices, contemporary art and entertainment, as well as in the popularity of certain fruit varieties associated with her. Pomona’s Influence on Botany and Gardening Practices While the ancient Pomona Festival holds its roots in Roman tradition, it has influenced various customs and practices that continue to thrive in modern times. One such example is the playful tradition of apple bobbing during Halloween parties.

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Her emphasis on proper pruning and grafting techniques has contributed to the development of effective horticultural practices. Today, her legacy can be observed in the meticulous care given to orchards and the cultivation of thriving fruit-bearing trees. References to Pomona in Contemporary Art and Entertainment An improved sport of Braeburn with better flavour and colour and more suited to the British climate. The fruits are crisp and aromatic and have excellent keeping qualities. Heavy cropping but best grown in the south as it needs a long growing season. Produces a compact tree - ideal for small gardens. Season: Dec - March. Pomona is one of three statues featured at the Massachusetts Horticulture Society's Elm Bank Horticulture Center, along with Ceres and Flora. [14] Gallery [ edit ] Pomona was said to be a wood nymph. [2] [3] Pomona does not have a clear counterpart in Greek mythology, although the fruit goddess Opora can be seen as her equivalent. [4] Etymology [ edit ]

In 2003 a newly discovered honey bee ( Apis mellifera) subspecies was named after Pomona being called the Apis mellifera pomonella, it was discovered in the Tien Shan Mountains, an area with the greatest genetic diversity for a wild Malus species, M. sieversii, that is the predominant ancestor of domesticated apple varieties which are typically pollinated by honey bees on a commercial scale. [10] Representations in art [ edit ] Metta, Demetra. "Μορφές και Θέματα της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής Μυθολογίας: Αναξαρέτη"[Figures and Themes of Greek Mythology: Anaxarete]. www.greek-language.gr (in Greek) . Retrieved November 21, 2023. There is something very special about the taste and aroma of the gourmet strawberry varieties originating from the south of France. They are so fragrant that when in season they perfume the markets in Provence with the most heavenly scent and taste sublime! Supplied as coldstored plants, this collection consists of 18 strawberry plants, 6 each of the following: Apple bobbing, originally inspired by Pomona’s celebration, involves trying to retrieve apples from a large basin of water using only one’s mouth. It has become a beloved Halloween activity, symbolizing good fortune and connecting us to our agricultural heritage.Over the centuries Pomona has been an immensely popular muse, inspiring a great many artists and writers, particularly from the 16 th to the 19 th century. These include Peter Paul Rubens, who depicted the wood nymph’s cherubic, innocent beauty, and later Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and William Morris, who reveled in the goddess’s close associations with the vibrant, lively fertility of the natural world which so closely chimed with their artistic interests. In Roman mythology, Pomona was a hamadryad, or wood nymph, who devoted her existence to the tending of fruit trees. Ovid writes in his Metamorphoses, “No other hamadryad of the wood nymphs of Latium tended to the garden more skillfully or was more devoted to the orchard’s care, hence her name.” According to numerous myths, her radiant beauty attracted several suitors, including Silvanus and Picus, but Pomona preferred to be alone, nurturing her sacred trees in the countryside. Describing her reclusive nature, Ovid wrote, “Still fearing boorish aggression, she enclosed herself in an orchard (pomeria), and denied an entrance, and shunned men.”

Many of our fruit trees are self-fertile and will pollinate themselves satisfactorily. However, some varieties of apple, pear, plum and cherry are not self-fertile and will require a pollinator from the same species. To ensure adequate pollination choose two varieties from the same species that are in the same flowering group or one group apart. This very attractive dessert apple was raised from a cross between two of our favourite British apples - James Grieve and Worcester Pearmain. It produces heavy crops of medium sized bright red fruits with a firm, finely textured flesh. Sweet and very juicy with a refreshing flavour, sometimes characterised with a hint of strawberry. Very popular with children but also an excellent variety for juicing as it produces beautiful pink juice. Easy to grow, very disease resistant and suitable for cooler areas. Season: Sept - early Oct.A very heavy cropping dessert apple producing red striped fruits. Crisp and juicy with a refreshing fruity flavour. Easy to grow and ideal as a garden variety. Produces a compact tree. Good resistance to late frosts. Season: Oct - Dec. Self-fertile. Grow your own delicious strawberries. Planted before the end of July, you will reap your first harvest this summer! This collection consists of 18 summer fruiting strawberry plants, 6 each of the following: This Mini Orchard Cordon collection consists of 3 popular self-fertile varieties, suitable for growing countrywide, 1 each of the following: A bronze statue of Pomona sits atop the Pulitzer Fountain in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza in New York. The fountain was funded by newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer, designed by the architect Thomas Hastings, and crowned by a statue conceived by the sculptor Karl Bitter. [11] The fountain was dedicated in May 1916. A crisp, juicy red flushed dessert apple with a rich, aromatic Cox-like flavour. A very popular garden variety, less prone to disease than Cox and suitable for the north. Heavy cropping. Stores very well. Season: Oct - Jan.