There's been a lot said recently about farmers pulling out their orchards and the unprofitability of our fruit canning industry. And the lack of support for our growers. We hear about orange growers struggling to compete with cheaper oranges being 'dumped' here from other countries. Now this is not a political post but it did make me reflect on the wonder of how we could market our oranges to allcomers.
A few years ago when visiting Seville, Cordoba and Granada it seemed to me that the Spanish certainly knew about marketing and 'branding'. Their streets and squares are lined with orange trees - and the citizens are free to pick them as they pass. The trees are well cared for (would they be trashed in this country....). The smell of orange blossom is divine in the spring, the smell of ripe oranges is wonderful and the green leaves not only shade the streets but they stay green all year. I was entranced. So here are some photos that might encourage you to 'lobby' your local Council. They would be so much nicer than the ratty trees which seem to be favoured in this country.
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| Lining the main square of Seville |
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| Oranges aplenty in the gardens of Seville |
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| Lush, green healthy trees |
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| A square in Cordoba - don't you love the idea |
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| Outside the walls in Cordoba |
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| A Cordoban orangerie |
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| At the Alhambra in Granada - just a touch of orange peeking out on the right |
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| Another 'orange' view at the Alhambra |
I follow a blog
http://www.anaffairwithitaly.com and was interested to read about Parco Savello, also known as the Garden of Orange Trees. It is considered one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Rome. You can read the story
here
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| The garden of orange trees in Rome |
What a wonderful way to enjoy a wander amongst fresh fruit from the trees - they are lush and green all year - give me a fruiting tree over a deciduous anytime!
What a pity that we don't promote our own struggling industries/growers in the same way. Do you agree?
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| Whiling away the time, watching the world go by under the trees in Cordoba |
Having just commented on another post I'm on a roll - but, as I said, I'm erratic! I was prompted to reply to this, though, because in Sicily too citrus trees are used to good effect. (I wrote about a lovely little public garden of orange trees and classical quotations, the Giardino Giusto Monaco, in my blog a little while ago.) The Arabs originally introduced citrus trees into Sicily, just as they did to Spain, a long time ago; now they're very much part of the local scene - and the climate is perfect. It would probably be more difficult to achieve the same thing in Melbourne. I remember a gardener there saying years ago: "Citrus will grow here, but they'd rather be in Sydney".
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