Chestnut (Castanea) Marsol 12L

Marsol is a vigorous French hybrid sweet chestnut, created by crossing a European chestnut with a Japanese chestnut to combine generous cropping with strong disease resistance. In October it bears large, glossy, mahogany-brown nuts with sweet, floury flesh. They store well and are perfect for roasting by the fire, stuffings, soups and festive baking. Its early summer catkins are rich in nectar and popular with bees. Marsol also resists leaf rust well and has good tolerance of ink disease, two of the chestnut's most troublesome problems.

Marsol forms a strong, upright tree with a clean trunk, best suited to larger gardens, paddocks, smallholdings and parkland. Plant in full sun in deep, well-drained soil. Chestnuts dislike chalky or waterlogged ground and thrive on the neutral to acidic soils found across much of the South West. Marsol comes into leaf early, so choose a sheltered spot away from frost pockets to protect the new growth. For good crops, plant with a different chestnut variety nearby for cross-pollination, such as Maraval, Marlhac or Marron de Lyon. Fully hardy once established. The nut husks are covered in sharp spines, so wear gloves when gathering the crop.

Supplied in a 12-litre pot.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.