Fruit Trees

All the fruit trees we sell are grown in the UK and have been chosen because they are well adapted to our climate. The classics grow well here - apples, pears, plums and so on - but also hardy varieties of cherries, figs, apricots and more.

We took this very question to our fruit tree growers, John and Josh. They recommend starting with apples like Discovery, pears like Williams and plums like Victoria. For more, see their full shortlist.

There are two options when it comes to planting fruit trees. Potted versions can be planted any time of year, but they’ll need more watering and care in the heat. Bare root versions are delivered without soil while the tree is dormant, around November to March, and should be planted during this time - they’re generally cheaper and a bit easier to get established.

Most fruit trees benefit from being in a sunny position, at least for a healthy portion of the day (4-6 hrs), and relatively sheltered from wind to avoid all the flowers being blown away before they get pollinated. Also check whether your tree needs a pollination partner (if you're in a remote area where there aren't any other fruit trees for a mile) or is self fertile.

It’s important to leave space between trees so their roots and branches have enough room to spread as they grow. Check the guidance for each tree to get an idea of its eventual size - the distance between trees should be at least as much as each tree’s eventual spread. This can be as little as 1.5m for trees with very dwarfing rootstocks, or as great as 8m for vigorous trees.

The fastest fruiting trees include pears, apples and figs, with a substantial crop three to four years after planting. For even faster harvesting, you could plant berries, which can fruit within the first year.

Fruit trees need about 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to produce a good crop, though with cooking varieties you can get away with a little less.

Dwarf fruit trees are varieties bred to maintain a compact size, in part by grafting the tree to a dwarfing rootstock. This makes them ideally suited to smaller gardens or even growing in pots.

There are no hard-and-fast rules, but generally a group of 5 or more fruit trees can constitute an orchard. We recommend planting a variety of fruits so you can enjoy a more varied harvest and foster greater resistance to pests. Check out our mini orchard pack to get started.

Trees won’t naturally grow more than one variety of fruit, but sometimes growers graft multiple stems onto one rootstock, producing a ‘family’ fruit tree.