This is the perfect time to plant a fruit tree, but there are more exciting options beyond apple trees — including quince, medlar or a Mirabelle.
Fruit trees have been growing in this country for centuries. Anyone who's recently seen Hamnet, which tells the story of William Shakespeare and his wife, might recall the scene in an orchard where they meet.
This was 16th-century Elizabethan England, when apples, pears and plums were grown widely. Two other popular fruits at the time were medlars and quinces, which Shakespeare refers to in several of his plays. Less common fruits, such as apricots, cherries and figs, were grown in royal orchards or monastic gardens.
With this in mind, we spoke to Neil Franklin, a tree fruit agronomist and trustee of the Brogdale Collections in Kent. This charity is home to the National Fruit Collection, which grows nearly 3,500 varieties of fruit trees. "This collection aims to preserve the diversity of the fruit we have in this country," says Neil, who also does guides around the collection, "as well as protect our rare and heritage varieties."
If you are inspired to grow a fruit tree of your own this year, or perhaps plant a whole orchard, this is the perfect time to do it. And while we all love a juicy red apple, maybe you are keen to try another fruit. With that in mind, Neils offers us a delicious top 10.
1. Pear tree ‘Concorde’
"If someone asked me to choose a pear variety, my first choice would be Concorde," says Neil, who likes to quote the words of Edward Bunyard, the British horticulturalist, who said: 'An apple should be crisp and crunchable; a pear should have a texture that leads to silent consumption.'" This pear ticks that box.
"Many people buy them in the shop when they're rock hard," Neil points out. "But, if you pick them at the right time, this is such a lovely, mellow-tasting soft pear. You just can’t beat it."One thing people always ask Neil about is pollination. "This tree is self-fertile, which means it doesn’t need another tree to pollinate and produce fruit."
This is good news if you’ve only got room for one tree.
2. Cherry tree ‘Stella’
"This fruit tree has a beautiful white blossom in the spring," says Neil. "The sort of tree you just want to look at all day, but then, of course, come July, it rewards you again with these very impressive, large, dark red juicy cherries. The colour of the cherry takes on this beautiful mahogany colour as it ripens."
This tree also holds an AGM (Award of Garden Merit) from the RHS and is one of the most popular cherry trees for planting in your garden. "One of the reasons for that is it’s also a self-fertile tree, so it appeals to those who are looking to buy just one tree, and it’s a regular cropper. It’s just a good all-rounder." Anyone for cherry pie and custard?
3. Plum tree ‘Victoria’
"I don't think you can beat a Victorian plum," says Neil, who's clearly eaten a few plums in his day. "With its gorgeous pale red skin on the outside and sweet-tasting golden flesh on the inside, this plum really does have that perfect combination," he says.
"It was discovered in the 1840s, growing in someone's garden in Sussex, so it’s a native plum and was named in honour of Queen Victoria, who was on the throne at the time."
It's a self-fertile variety and will give you a good crop, but Neil has one word of warning. "Sometimes, this tree wants to produce too much fruit, so we always suggest thinning it out in late May. If you don't, the crop will take too much nutrition from the tree, and it won’t produce fruit the following year."
This is a British export success. Apparently, it's the most popular plum in the world!
4. Asian pear ‘Kumoi’
"For those keen gardeners who want to try something a bit different, this could be the answer," says Neil. This is an Asian pear that originates from Japan, and as Neil explains, "If you're not familiar with them, the whole eating experience is totally different. Firstly, it looks more like a russet apple than our own European pears. Secondly, its flesh is firm and crisp, and it has a sweet pear flavour."
Come late September, people either eat it off the tree or use it in their salads and desserts. "This tree, which is valued for its ornamental charm, as well as delicious fruit, is also self-fertile, but it will grow even better with other pear trees."
Deeply embedded in Japanese culture, this tree was often planted at the front of a house to ward off evil spirits or bad fortune.
5. Quince tree ‘Meech’s Prolific’
"This is such a beautiful fruit, which you don't see that often now," says Neil, "most probably because you can't eat it raw. You need to cook it. But quince aficionados love using it to make jellies and jams."
In this country, it dates back to 1275, when four quince trees were planted in the Tower of London by Edward 1. But its history goes back even further, when it was often referred to as a 'golden apple'. In Greek mythology, it is associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
"In early May, this quince tree has a fantastic pink velvety blossom and in late October it produces fruit which has this intoxicating smell," explains Neil. "Last year, I had left a few quinces in my car overnight and the next morning the smell was just amazing!"
6. Medlar tree
This one will appeal to gardeners who love their Shakespeare because he refers to medlars in several of his plays, including Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It.
"In Elizabethan times, it was in its heyday", says Neil. "It was a common, very popular winter fruit, loved for its sweetness, long before sugar arrived." However, it did have a small image problem, even then, he adds.
"The calix end of the fruit is very open, so sadly it was often referred to as, if I can put it politely, 'a dog's backside'." It's a self-fertile tree and tolerates most soils. What also makes this fruit unique is that you must let it 'blet' on the tree. "This is a process of letting the fruit become so soft that it's almost like a puree inside. It's ready to pick in early November. Just make sure you have your copy of Romeo and Juliet to hand."
7. Hazelnut tree ‘Gunslebert’
The chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a huge fan of growing nuts with everything from walnuts and almonds to chestnuts and hazelnuts in his nuttery. The tree, which is happy to grow in quite poor soil, has beautiful dark yellow catkins in winter, followed by very early small crimson flowers.
"Interestingly, its flowers are what you call 'monoecious', which means the flowers on each tree are either male or female," explains Neil. "But both sexes are on the same plant and are pollinated by the wind."
In the nut world, hazels, cobs and filberts are all very closely related and it's worth bearing in mind that they tend to start cropping three or four years after planting.
"Once they do," says Neil, "these lovely nuts can be eaten in the green, in September, or left to turn brown and harden in the fall. It's no surprise to learn", he adds, "that squirrels love them too, so don’t be too surprised if they get there first."
8. Mirabelle tree ‘Mirabelle de Nancy’
"This member of the plum family is so revered in the Lorraine region of France that a Mirabelle festival is held every August in the city of Merz. There's even a Mirabelle queen! This one area, in fact, produces 80% of the world's commercial production! "This is a beautiful fruit, even just to look at," says Neil, full of delight.
"It’s a small, round, bright yellow fruit which often develops a pink flush when very ripe, and the flesh is golden and sweet". It’s also very popular for cooking with, especially to make jams and all sorts of plum cakes and pastries. And chefs love it because the stone comes away so easily.
"It also makes the most beautiful gin," Neil reveals. "I make it every Christmas and by the New Year, it's all disappeared!"
9) Apricot Tree ‘Tom Cot’
Who doesn't love a juicy apricot or an apricot crumble, for that matter? "This variety is hard to resist because it brightens up the bleakest February with a beautiful white blossom and come late summer, the tree bears these large orange fruits which have a lovely crimson blush to them," says Neil.
"This one is grown commercially in the UK, so the only thing to bear in mind is that because they flower very early, they can be prone to frost, so ideally you want to plant it on a protected south-facing wall."
There's something else about this tree that makes it different. "Because it flowers so early, there are very few insects around to pollinate it, so you need to pollinate the flowers yourself, either using a fine paintbrush or a rabbit's tail." If you want to take your immersive insect experience to the next level, this might be one for you!
10. Fig tree ‘Brown Turkey’
This fig tree produces large reddish-brown pear-shaped fruits with sugary pink flesh and already has the thumbs up from the RHS who awarded it an AGM in 2011. They originate from the Middle East but have been grown in Britain since the Roman times. They don’t seem to mind the colder climate here, but ideally like a south-facing wall.
Neil has two pieces of advice. "A fig tree grows quite fast, and you may want to restrict it for two reasons. Firstly, it will just get too big. Secondly, if it puts too much energy into growing, it won't have the energy to produce fruit."
He suggests planting them in 100-litre pots, but if you do want to plant them in the ground, Neil advises digging a trench and putting broken slabs or bricks along the base and around the sides to stop the roots growing."
In 2024, Neil planted a two-year-old fig tree in a 100-litre pot himself and got 12 figs last year. In five years, he is hoping that it will be 500!
For further details, visit: brogdalecollections.org
