If you only have space for one fruit tree, Sweet cherry 'Stella' is the one to grow. 'Stella' Cherry is self-fertile (which means it does not need a second variety of cherry tree to pollinate it) and is a really heavy, reliable cropper because it has good resistance to late frosts. Unlike most other sweet cherry varieties, 'Stella' will thrive in slightly exposed locations but can also be grown in a pot on your patio. The sweetly flavoured, dark-skinned, plump and juicy, aromatic fruits will be ready to pick from mid to late July each year and from the third growing season onwards, you can expect upwards of 5kg (11lb) of cherries per tree, which will save a small fortune compared to paying supermarket prices. Additionally, the beautiful cherry blossom, which appears from early March, will brighten your garden and mark the beginning of spring. Supplied as a bare root tall, grower-quality tree, approx. 1.2-1.4m, grown on a dwarfing 'Colt' rootstock to provide a compact and manageable habit.
If you have the space and want the most beautiful and unusual tree to fill it then try this young 'tulip tree', native to North America. It'll soon be making a wonderful display with its tulip-esque flower buds and apple green to orange blend flowers in mid-summer, and golden autumn foliage. Ultimate height 20m. Supplied in 9cm pots.
One of the best-sellers from world-leading Dwarf fruit tree breeder Zaiger, Peach Amber is a really special tree for your garden. Starting with a beautiful display of rose-pink blossom in Spring, it is self-fertile so will produce crops of sumptuous juicy peaches, with a deep golden amber flesh (hence it's name), and lovely red skins. Amazingly sweet in taste, it really is Perfection in Peaches, and performs really well in the UK. As with all peaches here, best results can be obtained by helping pollinate the tree by using a simple soft artist's paintbrush, and rubbing it from flower to flower when it in blossom. They blossom early, and there aren't always enough bees on the move at that time of year. Keep foliage dry in Spring to avoid Peach leaf Curl - under a canopy is fine. You will be rewarded with amazing crops of juicy, amber-fleshed peaches - they just taste sublime picked warm form the sun on their backs, straight form the tree.
?Tree Oyster? is a large fleshy, white, or grey mushroom with a distinctive fan-shaped cap and a slightly aniseed aroma.
'Morello' Cherry is often referred to as 'The Cooking Cherry' because it is the variety most frequently used for making the delicious fragrant pies and jams we all know and love! The fruits are packed with juice and the skin colour is dark red. It is one of the most reliable croppers of all the sour cherries because it is self-ertile, late flowering and so less susceptible to frost damage, plus it is incredibly disease resistant a real winner for any garden! 'Morello' Cherry is also a great tree to grow on a north-facing wall because even in a cooler position with low light levels it will still grow and thrive and fruit as normal you can usually expect to pick the fruits from late August onwards.
A simply stunning Patio Peach tree, 'Crimson (R) Bonfire' has been selected for it's unique and delightful burgundy purple foliage and red coloured peach fruits, all on a genetically dwarf tree too. Imagine relaxing on your patio in early Summer - the last of the heavenly sweet scent of Mediterranean peach blossom filling the air. Then in late August, reaching out and plucking one of your very own delicious, juicy ripe peaches! This stunning compact peach tree is so easy to grow, perfect in a pot and because it flowers later than many varieties it fruits much more successfully too. A beautifully symmetrical shaped tree, its foliage has a delightfully rich burgundy colouration. Combined with the crimson peaches it makes a particularly exotic and decorative addition to any patio. Completely winter hardy no matter how cold it gets, you can look forward to your very own harvest of home-grown peaches for years to come. TOP TIP: Peach fruit yield will be increased by keeping the fruit tree canopy dry in blossom and pollination time, such as in a greenhouse, conservatory or lean-to. Although self-fertile, using a dry small artist's paintbrush to brush pollen from flower to flower will hugely increase fruit set too. This will massively reduce the curse of Peach Leaf Curl too. Patio Peach 'Crimson (R) Bonfire' really is a delightful little tree, for years and years of enjoyment.
Medlars are a somewhat old-fashioned fruit in today's supermarket world, but are a spectacular and rewarding specimen tree. A fabulous Spring blossoming tree, it produces gorgeous pink blossom, and in late Autumn unusual fruits, not exactly a thing of beauty, and which are tart if eaten from the tree, but sweeten beautifully if picked and ripened for a few weeks, and can keep for Months in cool and dry conditions. They then make excellent jellies, as well as cooking well in mixed fruit pies and puddings though, fresh from the trees. Something really different, yet easy for the productive orchard garden!
It would be easy to ignore Pomegranates as a fruit that can be grown in the UK, but you would be wrong. Yes, they do need hot summers and warm spots, but will crop here, and produce spectacular flower as a bonus, so also have good ornamental value. A highly attractive feature tree with the added bonus of producing glossy, versatile fruits in autumn each year! With deep green foliage and bright orange flowers in summer, it will look great in your garden for years to come.The leathery skinned, glossy fruits ripen in the sun each summer and have a wonderful flavour. Pomegranate bushes love hot summers and your bush will thrive in a sunny spot it is perfect for a patio pot. Easy to grow and completely hardy in UK (-7-10C), Pomegranates will easily tolerate our British winters and just need those long hot summers we all look forward to, to maximise fruit yields. The fruits can be used in cooking sweet or savoury and taste great when made into refreshing, fragrant pomegranate juice! They are super-healthy and packed with antioxidants. We suggest growing in a large pot, in well-drained compost, so you can move it into protection in winter, not to protect from frost, but to get it growing as soon as possible in spring. Outdoors they are very late back into leaf, so you lose valuable growing season time. They will produce their dark orange to red flowers in July, and then set and produce small reddish orange fruits, which need to be left on the tree as long as possible in autumn to ripen. Supplied as a standard tree in a 22cm pot, 1.4m tall including pot.
If you have always wanted to grow your own apricots, this is the perfect time to start! 'Early Moorpark' is self-fertile and will grow and thrive in UK conditions, cropping reliably year after year. It produces deliciously flavoured, aromatic, bright yellow fruits, which take on an attractive orange-red tinge when fully ripe and are ready to pick in August. The fragrant, light-pink blossom appears in early spring before the leaves start growing, making a beautiful display. Whilst the tree itself is fully winter hardy, to guarantee a good crop of apricots, plant it in full sun but against a south-facing fence or wall and cover with fleece to give further frost protection when it is in full flower. The pollinating insects will then set to work and make lots of lovely fruits to pick later in the year. Once fully established, you might expect to pick 200-300 fruits per tree! If you don't have room in your garden, 'Moorpark' will be perfect to grow in a pot on your patio or balcony.
A new apple launched in 2011, 'Tickled Pink' (also sold as 'Baya Marissa') is a stunning variety with sumptuously juicy red flesh with a fabulous 'old-fashioned' flavour - just like 'Rosy Apple' sweets! You can marvel at the unique strawberry-red flesh, all the way to the core! From fragrant springtime blossom to juicily luscious, red-fleshed fruits each October, 'Tickled Pink' will be as happy in a pot on your patio or balcony as it will in a bed or border. Delicious straight from the tree, the exquisite apples are perfect for making refreshing red juice or baking apple pies for a taste that's simply divine. With its incredible fragrant spring blossom, richly coloured foliage and mid-October fruits, the tree itself brings season-long interest to any garden, patio or balcony. It is perfectly winter hardy and easy to grow - ideal for beginer and experienced gardeners alike. It is not self-fertile, but if there are apple trees nearby it is likely you will get some fruit as it can be pollinated by a wide range of commonly grown trees. Plant it where you can enjoy the gorgeous spring blossom displays too! Supplied as an established plant in a 3L pot, approx. 80-100cm tall, ready to plant out.
Originally grown in France in the mid-19th century, and often known by it's French name 'Reine Clauide d'Oullins', the 'Oullin's Golden Gage' is a great, self-fertile, garden variety for anyone to grow. It prefers warmer weather than apples or pears, so will fruit later in the year, producing its attractive, golden-yellow, red-specked fruits in abundance in late summer. Very much sweeter and juicier than typical plums, it is a real sweet treat plucked fresh from the tree. There is no greater pleasure than picking a plump, juicy plum straight from your own tree and popping it straight into your mouth! The firm, aromatic flesh is packed full of sweet fruitiness and the juice will delight your tastebuds! If you can resist eating them all, these versatile fruits are perfect for use in cooking, and will freeze well for using later.