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Expertly Grown in the UK
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Expertly Grown in the UK
Carefully Hand Delivered

autumn-sale

'Alfred' Apricot Tree

Think you know apricots? Taste these!

Grown by John

South Downs National Park

1 Year Old Tree in a 9L Pot

120-150cm inc. pot on arrival

Montclare rootstock (grows up to 3m)

£36

In stock

Perfectly happy plants, or your money back

Specialist overnight plant delivery

The highlights

  • Orange skinned apricots with a juicy, aromatic flavour
  • Harvest in late July
  • Grows to a compact 3.6m - perfect for pots
  • Self fertile

Description

  • A compact and heavy cropping apricot variety that's specially bred for success in the UK climate
  • Sweet and tasty apricots with a deep orange skin and flesh - perfect for eating straight off the tree or using in desserts and smoothies. These are nothing like the tasteless apricots in the shops, but juicy and full of flavour
  • Can be grown as a freestanding tree (we recommend planting in full sun next to a fence or wall) or fan trained
  • Fruits are ready to harvest in late July
  • White-blush pink blossom in April and May
  • Highly attractive to wildlife and pollinating insects - a very beneficial tree for the whole garden!
  • Grows to a compact height of 3.6m, making it suitable for patio pots
  • Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching. This formative pruning can involve cutting the main leader, if the expert tree growers decide this will produce a better shaped tree. This can stop the tree becoming "leggy", and promote stronger, bushier growth.MORE

What To Expect

Supplied as:

Tree in 9L Pot

Height on arrival:

120-150cm inc. pot

Eventual height:

3.6m

Eventual spread:

3.6m
Spreads approx 3.6m unless pruned

Tasting notes:

Rich and aromatic

Time to first crop:

2 years
You may see your first Apricots after 2 years but you should not expect to see substantial crops for another 2-3 years after that

Flower colour:

Pink, white
White, pink-tinged spring blossom

Habit:

Upright, bushy
An upright tree with a bushy habit

Hardiness:

Somewhat hardy
H4 - May require some protection from very late frosts as this can damage the flowers. This won't cause lasting damage to the tree but will reduce the yield of fruit that year.

Self fertile:

Self fertile
Produces a crop without needing fertilisation from other trees

Uses:

Eating, cooking, preserving

Rootstock:

Montclare rootstock (grows up to 3m)
Apricot varieties are usually grown by grafting them to rootstocks. This has benefits for pest resistance, genetics and the efficiency of propagation. Importantly, it also limits the height of a tree to a more manageable, specific height. Montclare Peach trees tend to only reach 4m tall, perfect for smaller spaces or those afraid of stepladders. They can also be trained to a smaller size by pruning or restricting the roots, by keeping in a smaller pot

Spacing:

3m
Plant 3m apart to allow for spreading

How To Grow

Good pest and disease resistance

Shows good resistance to the main pests and diseases for apricots. You may see some damage from aphids and caterpillars, which can both be washed away with soapy water. Birds will eat the apricots if given the chance so take steps to prevent this like using a fruit net or bird scarers. Reduce the risk of bacterial canker by pruning to improve airflow and remove rotting organic matter nearby.

Water in well

Water in thoroughly when planting. For bare root trees, you won't need to water regularly, only in dry spells when needed. You should be able to tell because the leaves will start to wilt and droop. If a container grown tree, it will need more watering until its roots are established. It should be watered every other day or so for the first few months. Then reduce to twice a week until autumn. In the second year it should have an established enough root system to support itself, just water when required as explained above for bare roots. When watering a tree it is important to give a good soaking. It is better to water heavily and less frequently than little and often as this encourages the roots to grow down into the ground.

Full sun

Plant where the tree will receive around 6-8 hours of sunlight daily in spring/summer.

Well drained, loamy soil

Will tolerate less than perfect conditions but may not fruit too well. Will struggle in poorly draining soil.

No feeding required

Apricot trees get all the nutrients they need from the soil - if yours is poor quality, mix in some compost when planting.

Planting Calendar

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  • Best time to plant
  • Harvest
  • Flower

South Downs National Park

Meet John

110 years' expertise free with every tree

John’s family have been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.

What customers say about us

We do our best to provide you the best experience ever

Growing with Roots

Good to know

Our plants are grown 
in the UK

Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.

Our plants are delivered overnight

Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 
24 hours.

We're here to help at every step

We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team 
of experts.

Perfect plants, guaranteed

We’re confident that you’ll be delighted 
with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re 
perfectly happy.

Digging deep to answer your questions

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When will I get my plants?

The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.

How will my plants be packed and delivered?

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Where do you deliver?

We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.

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