Fruit tree collections

Start your own orchard!

Planting several fruit trees together can provide you with the benefits of fresh fruit straight from your garden or orchard over a longer period. We have selected groups of fruit trees which might give you some ideas for your own collection.

You might also want to browse our fruit tree categories.

Apple trees suitable for organic culture

These are apple varieties that in our experience are suitable for growing organically because they are generally strong trouble-free varieties that do not seem to be bothered by the usual apple diseases of scab, canker, or mildew.  They are also suitable for an "un-treated" regime, where no herbicides or pesticides of any kind are used - increasingly popular with gardeners.  It is worth noting that most crab apples are also suitable for growing without herbicides and pesticides.

Apple varieties with the best flavour

A selection of apple tree varieties for the connoisseur. Some of these varieties are not easy to grow, but with patience and a bit of luck you will be rewarded with the best flavours from the apple kingdom.  A common characteristic of all these apples is that they are closely related to Cox's Orange Pippin.

Apples trees for Cider / Juice

These apple varieties are either traditional cider varieties or dessert / culinary varieties that are notably juicy and can be used for juicing and cider production.

Cooking apples

Whilst many apple varieties can be used for culinary purposes, varieties that are good for eating fresh tend to be too sweet and insubstantial when cooked.  Cooking apples typically have a robust "sub-acid" flavour, which mellows during cooking and lends a richer texture and flavour to pies, tarts, and crumbles.  Many of these varieties are also good for juicing, as they give a good acidic backbone which can then be sweetened with the addition of other varieties.

One of the key characteristics of cooking apples is what happens during the cooking process - some cook down to a puree (useful for pie fillings), whilst others retain their shape (useful for tarts).

Cox's Orange Pippin substitutes

Cox's Orange Pippin is widely considered to have the best flavour of any apple variety - however it is not that easy to grow.  Here are some other apple varieties that have some of the qualities of Cox's Orange Pippin and may be more suitable for different situations.  All these varieties are directly descended from Cox's Orange Pippin, or thought to have a close relationship.

Easy apple trees

A collection of apple tree varieties that anyone can grow. These varieties should crop reliably with the minimum of effort or knowledge required on the part of the gardener!

English heritage apple trees

A collection of traditional English apple varieties with their roots in the Victorian era.

Fruit connoisseur

A collection of fruit trees where flavour is the one and only quality of interest.

Fruit trees for a north-facing wall

In temperate climates the best place to grow fruit trees is in a sheltered south-facing situation, since sunlight and warmth help to maximise the quantity, colour and flavour of the fruit.  However there are some varieties that will tolerate the low-light and cold of a north-facing wall, which can allow you to get a crop of fresh fruit even in this difficult situation.

Fruit trees for North West Scotland

Growing fruit trees in the north west of Scotland is a challenge because fruit trees do not like wet, wind, or altitude - all of which is available in abundance in this area.  However you can still be successful if you pay attention to the local situation, and careful selection of varieties and rootstocks.  The selection below is of varieties we think or have been advised should be successful in this area.  Please note that there is unfortunately a delivery surcharge for this region.

It is vital to provide shelter from the wind and rain, avoid ground that gets water-logged or is too acidic, and make sure the fruit trees get as much of the available sunlight as possible.

Training the trees against a south-facing wall will get the best results. If growing in open (sheltered) ground, consider a dwarf-rootstock so that the tree stays small and is less exposed to wind damage.

For pears and apples, early-ripening varieties are better-suited to the shorter growing season than later varieties.

Russet apple trees

Although not usually grown commercially, russet apples with their sandpaper-like skin are popular amongst gardeners and home orchardists.  There are several different varieties, and whilst they are not necessarily related to each other, they tend to share some common characteristics - notably the attractive russet colouring, a sweeter flavour, and flesh which is firm rather than crunchy.

Small orchard selection

This collection of 12 fruit trees is intended to give you an introduction to apples, pears, cherries, and plums.  The varieties chosen are all fairly easy to grow, with intrinsic interest and a spread of cropping through the season.  Each variety can be pollinated by its partners or is self-fertile so there is no need to worry about pollination.  You could add another pear or another cherry in place of (or as well as) the damson.

If you choose the medium/large sizes for each variety you will need a space of approximately 16m by 12m for this collection.  (That is roughly 4 saloon cars parked nose to tail in one axis, and 3 in the other axis).

Supermarket favourite apple varieties

Here is a collection of apple varieties often found in supermarkets, which you can try growing at home.  It is worth remembering that most supermarket apple varieties are designed for warm dry climates, so growing them in a temperate climate like the UK is more of a challenge.  However if you can provide the right conditions, preferably a sunny south-facing sheltered location, you should be successful.  All these varieties are late season and benefit from a long ripening period.

UK dessert apple orchard collection

This collection of 10 trees is designed for the UK dessert apple enthusiast who wants to be able to harvest fresh apples throughout the season from mid-summer to late autumn.  Most of the varieties in this collection are easy or fairly easy to grow.

As a minimum in this collection we would recommend (in approximate order of ripening) Discovery, Katy, Egremont Russet, Falstaff, Spartan, Kidd's Orange Red, Winter Gem.  This will give you a spread of apples through the season, and also a good mix of textures and flavours.  For extra mid-season interest, add Sunset or Red Devil.