At Grow Fruit Trees, we believe apples are more than just fruit—they’re history, habitat, nourishment, and beauty. That’s why we were thrilled to collaborate with internationally acclaimed artist Anya Gallaccio and Turner Contemporary to bring her visionary living artwork—a heritage apple orchard—to life at Lees Court Estate in Faversham.
Apples as Art: The Vision
Anya Gallaccio’s retrospective exhibition preserve at Turner Contemporary (Sept 2024 – Jan 2025) was a breathtaking exploration of natural decay, renewal, and the passing of time. In this spirit, the orchard at Lees Court forms a living extension of the gallery—a space that will grow, evolve, and mature long after the exhibition itself.
Working closely with Anya, we helped design and grow the trees specifically for this living sculpture. Her passion for apples—especially overlooked, heritage, and visually striking varieties—shaped every stage of the process.
The Orchard: Stories in Every Tree
Together with Anya, we selected varieties that tell a story through time. From the ancient Roman ‘Decio’ to the legendary Scottish ‘Bloody Ploughman’, the orchard is peppered with evocatively named apples like ‘Sheep’s Nose’—each adding history, flavour, and curiosity.
At the centre of the planting is one especially captivating variety: Sops in Wine, an ancient English apple with a deep crimson flush and red-flecked flesh. Steeped in myth and memory, it’s been used for everything from cider to creating pink apple crumble—and was once believed to have medicinal powers. Anya loved the symbolism, and this variety now anchors the orchard’s entire design.
The orchard itself is a celebration of form and diversity. Rather than traditional rows, we worked with Anya to create a layout that mirrors the sculptural and expressive potential of apple trees.
From Victorian Stepovers to stately Full-Standards, every form is represented—each one featuring Sops in Wine, which connects the planting visually and thematically.
A Growing Collaboration: Involving Young Hands
The orchard is being planted in two phases. Phase 1 took place in October 2024, when we joined forces with Anya, Turner Contemporary, Lees Court Estate and local schoolchildren to plant the first trees.
The Children didn’t just plant apples—they planted ideas: about seasonality, ecosystems, food, and the future.
This educational aspect is central to Anya’s vision. The orchard is not a finished work—it’s a work in progress, just like the communities it hopes to nourish. Thanks to support from the An Apple a Day programme, the orchard has become a classroom without walls, rooted in art, nature, and collaboration.
We’re now preparing for Phase 2, which will be planted in October 2025, expanding and deepening the orchard’s structure and story.
Why It Matters
This project is about more than fruit. Through this living sculpture, apples have become a way to express:
- Regeneration after ecological loss
- Intergenerational learning and community engagement
- The poetic intersection of horticulture and contemporary art
- The preservation of local heritage and rare biodiversity
We’re immensely proud to have contributed our expertise and passion to help bring this extraordinary vision to life. With Thanks Our heartfelt thanks go to Creating Nature’s Corridors for generously supporting this project and sponsoring the trees. Their contribution has helped lay the roots for something truly special.
A Living Sculpture
This orchard is not just a planting.
It’s a sculpture
It’s the start of something much bigger.