By Victoria Plum 
By Victoria Plum
My parents-in-law, growing up in Great Yarmouth between the wars, say that medlars (having been “bletted”, incidentally a Norfolk term) were a great treat around Christmas time.
Some of us sampled medlars and the associated medlar jelly made by Jane Steward of Eastgate Larder, our speaker at the Reepham & District Gardening Club meeting this month.
In an interesting talk she explained the history of the tree and fruit, which she described as “our forgotten fruit”.
Henry VIII was a fan of the medlar; sweet fruit would have been popular in early times when our diet would have been much plainer than it is now.
I’ve finally got on top of my “Rambling Rector”; my son gave me two of these fabulous roses about 15 years ago.
When my children were small, I trained them to spurn the miniature or dwarfing stock varieties of anything as we looked around the nursery plants because we had a huge garden surrounded by fields.
Our roses sprawled and arched beautifully and rewarded us with a glorious show, but since moving to a smaller house and garden I have much less room.
So, my now-grown-up son, remembering my enthusiasm for scale, kindly gave me two large pots of trouble!
One I sent away with friends to live in Wales (lots of room there) and the other I have tried to keep under control at the far end of this garden, and every year I have cut and cut and cut it back.
The flowers have been lovely, but not lovely enough to compensate for the scratches and scars on the postman, me, the neighbours and grandchildren from those terrible backward-facing thorns designed to grab hold indiscriminately of anything within a 20-metre radius.
I mentioned to some friends this difficult digging job (it took me three good sessions to get it out) and asked if anyone wanted the rose (I hate to discard any viable plant).
Luckily, one of my friends texted her daughter and she wanted it. So, my Rambling Rector has gone to London, to live and hopefully flourish in a rectory garden in Marylebone with her daughter who, coincidentally, is a rector.
Hating to discard viable plants, as I just said, I have been potting up any surplus ready for the gardening club plant sale on Saturday 13 May. Unusual plants are welcome, but everyday plants also find a new home easily.
Next month, join us at the Town Hall, Church Street, Reepham, on Tuesday 21 March at 7.45 pm to learn about “The Secret Life of Plants” with Jim Payne from Walnut Tree Garden Nursery.
Pictured above: Rambling Rector root – far too big to put in a pot. Photo: Tina Sutton
Geoff Fisher