After the disappointment of finding out that there would be no Orion vines available this year I have decided to squeeze in another row and get some more vines on order. This extra row is a little too close to a magnolia tree that is growing in the garden, but it should still get enough sun.
I have looked everywhere I can think of and cannot find anywhere that will sell me just three grafted Orion vines. Maybe I will take back what I said before about English red wine and get some Regent or Rondo vines. I’ll think about it.
In the meantime I have dug over a fresh strip of ground for the third row and put in the posts and trellising.
The vines are growing well, although it looks like they won’t have grown enough that I can train them onto the main wire after this season. I will most probably have to prune them right back this winter to two or three buds and give them another year to grow a really sturdy main stem.