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THE ARTS AND CRAFTS FRUIT GARDEN

© Connie Krochmal

Through the years there have been many garden styles. The Arts and Crafts garden is a down-to-earth style that features various kinds of fruit trees and fruit plants. Today many Arts and Crafts bungalows are being restored and there's a revival of interest in the movement.

William Morris (1836-1896) founded the movement as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. The movement focused on the innate goodness of regional handicrafts and simple decorations and gardens.

As an artist, poet, writer, designer, and factory owner, Morris was very fond of nature and incorporated natural elements into his work. Throughout his life Morris lived and gardened in various locations of England. Regardless of where he lived, he loved his garden.

He was particularly fond of fruit trees and fruit plants. Though the birds were always eating the fruits, he forbade his gardener to do anything about it. This inspired him to create one of his classic textile designs, the Strawberry Thief, on printed cotton material in 1883 showing birds in his garden munching on fruits. Morris grew both wild and cultivated strawberries in his garden.

Morris also grew blackberries, particularly in his garden at Kelmscott Manor. This was another fruit he depicted in his textiles.

In America the blackthorn or sloe (Prunus spinosa) isn't a popular fruit, which is too bad. These plum-like fruits are very dark, and are often used for drinks. As the name implies, the plant has sharp thorns. Growing to fifteen feet or so in height, the blackthorn appears in one of Morris's most popular wallpaper designs. It shows blackthorn blossoms along with violets, and spring-blooming fritillaries.

Fruit trees often played a role in Morris' designs. In 1890, he created a tapestry called The Orchard in which he depicted pear, orange, and apple trees with an allegorical human figure that held a scroll with a quote from one of his own poems featuring an orchard.

In the garden at Kelmscott Manor he grew numerous kinds of fruits. These included small fruits like gooseberries, raspberries, and strawberries as well as tree fruits, such as plums, cherries, and apples.

His Red House garden also featured an orchard. So it seems fairly obvious that all Arts and Crafts gardens should include fruit plants.

In the last decade or so a revival of interest in the Arts and Crafts movement occurred. This resulted in a number of excellent books on gardens. Though Morris was a writer, he never wrote a book on gardening. This was left mainly to Gertrude Jekyl and others.