Green Hip women working in the field

Kate & Rob's Bush Fire Recovery

Kate Blood is the co-owner of the home of Heritage Fruit Trees and has been a long time wearer of Green Hip. Kate lives in her Green Hip long sleeve Shirts & Pants Originals. They are her staple everyday farm wear! Liv has purchased their fruit trees and vouches for the highest of quality of stock.

Here is Kates story from the devestating bush fires in February 2024. A timely reminder to everyone living in rural settings to get their bush fire plan in place for this coming Summer.

"The home of Heritage Fruit Trees at Beaufort was impacted by the Bayindeen bushfire in February 2024. Part of the extensive gardens were burnt and damaged by radiant heat damage from burning hedges. Fortunately, our house, sheds and tree crops were saved so we could stay in business.

 

The half acre (0.2 ha) “Pear Garden” has a central avenue of heritage espaliered pear varieties and around its edge were many trellis-trained heritage apple varieties. A large Westringia ‘Wynyabbie Gem’ hedge around the Pear Garden’s perimeter was burnt on 22 February 2024. The fine dead material in the centre of the hedge created perfect bushfire fuel with the resulting flame heights well over 4 m. The heat thrown from the burning hedges reached at least 10 m into the Pear Garden resulting in radiant heat damage to apple and other fruit trees, Buxus hedges in the parterre, roses, very old Japanese Maples and other garden and fruit plants.

 

A wonderful group of volunteers started the recovery process and spent a day with us in March removing hedges and apple trees. Subsequent volunteer helpers and our team at Heritage Fruit Trees have continued the work. We now have a blank canvas around the core of the Pear Garden to plan and rebuild. Staff members, Rune and Ben, are making a start on a new design for the area incorporating the remaining plants, new plantings of fruit trees, many to be a source of propagation material for the nursery, and a large collection of crab apples. The Pear Garden redesign and build will be integrated into a revamp of our farm entrance and modifications to other parts of the garden.

 

While we have been distracted by bushfire recovery activities on the farm and keeping the nursery going, the weeds in the garden are taking over so the next few weekends will be focussed on weeds!

 

Cheers, Kate Blood and Rob Pelletier"

https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au/

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