A Quick Guide to Buying the Perfect Apple Tree
Growing apples is very popular in the UK and it’s no surprise - it is easy and rewarding!Â
If you are thinking about jumping on the bandwagon and growing your own tasty apples, there are a few key things to know before buying apple trees.  Â
If you are near Chichester, West Sussex, or Hampshire you are more than welcome to visit our Arundel Arboretum nursery and meet our experts. They will gladly chat with you, show you around, answer your questions, share some valuable advice, and offer you the best apple tree UK selection.
If you are looking for apple trees for sale online, explore our web store and our carefully curated, both young and mature apple trees for sale.
How to Choose Your Apple Tree?
Before heading to an apple tree farm or browsing to buy apple trees online, you need to answer a few questions to figure out the best apple variety for your needs. Check out this simple guide to decide:
1. A Dessert (Eating) or Cooking Apple? A Cider or Crab Apple?
Dessert Apples. Primarily grown for fresh eating. They are usually sweet, crispy, and juicy. The most popular dessert apples in the UK are:
Cooking apples. All apples are suitable for cooking, but certain varieties are especially good for culinary purposes (for pies, tarts, crumbles, sauces, and other dishes). The best cooking apple trees to grow in the UK are:
Cider apples. Cider apples are cultivated for the production of cider, an alcoholic drink made out of pressed apple juice. The best cider apple trees are:
Crab Apple Trees are small, ornamental trees or shrubs, more grown for decorative purposes than for eating. With their attractive flowers, foliage, and sometimes fruits, crab apples are perfect for landscaping.
2. Which Apple Flavour Do You Like Best?
Apples come in different flavours. They can be sweet, tart, and sweet-tart. Think about the taste you like and then decide what varieties you want to have in your garden. Here are some examples:
3. What Is a Rootstock and How to Choose the Right Size?
Many fruit trees are grafted onto rootstocks. These rootstocks control the vigour of the plant, allowing the cultivation of trees in smaller spaces. If you want a small apple tree or a miniature apple tree, you have to look for specific rootstocks.Â
Rootstocks sizes essential to know:
- M27. Ultra-dwarfing. Grows to 1.7m. Requires a permanent staking. Good for pots.Â
- M26. Dwarfing. Grows to 3m. Good for cordons and small espaliers.
- MM106. Semi-dwarfing or Half-Standard. Grows to 5m. Good for espaliers.Â
- M25. Vigorous or Standard. Grows more than 5m.
4. Are Apple Trees Self-Pollinating?
Apples are usually not self-pollinating but need pollination from another apple tree that flowers at the same time. Keep that in mind when you choose apple plants for your garden. If you have a large garden, you can plant 2 or 3 different cultivars. In that case, you need to find apple varieties compatible for pollination. If your space is limited, you can buy ‘family’ trees which have two or three cultivars grafted onto one tree.Â
5. When Will Your Apple Tree Bear Fruit?
When picking apple varieties for your garden, keep in mind that each type has its own timing for bearing fruit. For example:
Early season. These varieties crop in late summer, usually from August to September
Mid-Season. For these, fruiting occurs in mid-autumn, usually from September to October
Late season. These varieties bear fruit in late autumn, from October to November