The Paviot Apricot

A seedling of the local Lyonnais variety hatif du Clos, raised by the nurseryman Paviot at Marcilly-d’Azergues and placed into commerce in 1882. During the following four decades it became the most planted apricot in the Rhone districts below Lyon, and for good reason: the quality of the fruits.

Fruits are usually remarkably round, the stone also (although our fruit are a little more elongated like the traditional apricot) deep orange when ripe, flesh melting, juicy, superb. The tree bearing in alternate years, however, is very productive among the late varieties, late-July and beyond. (Ours have some spotting on them. Less-than-perfect-looking fruit often happens when one has strict organic production.)

We are doing the ‘gentle squeeze’ test on the fruit. Hesse has deep, red-purple coloration. Paviot is becoming slightly soft to the touch. You may have to counter-ripen them. We will harvest Wednesday morning to give the fruit every opportunity to ripen on the tree. Photos attached. From left to right: Paviot French Apricot, Hesse Plumcot, Hesse, Westcott Apricot.

The two trees were one of two sets that ‘held hands’ this spring and began to glow. For years I have been told that I could not grow Chinese Honey peaches or apricots here, that no one can. I’m so glad that I didn’t believe any of them.

These two trees have been with us since 2017, when they arrived as 2-year-olds. This spring something looked different. The two grow side by side and you can tell that they support each other somehow. They reached out to ‘hold branches’ and then the flowers became very large and swollen. They looked like huge, fat, pale pink popcorn on the branches. At one point I looked at the trees at sunset and could see a rosy glow in them.

My heart leapt a little, and I was very hopeful. And then, suddenly, one day there they were little fruitlets developing. As the trees get older and become more used to bearing fruit, the fruit will also increase in taste and quality.