How to select a new fruit tree for your garden

Last Updated on August 19, 2026 by the Dobies Horticultural Team

Selecting new fruit trees can be tricky as there are so many varieties, shapes and sizes. Because they’re long-lived, it’s even more important to make the right choice. Once planted, the rewards are huge – an attractive feature, beautiful blossom each spring, and crops of your favourite fruit for many years to come.

Here, trained botanical horticulturist Olivia Drake shares advice on choosing new fruit trees for your garden…

Which type of fruit do you like to eat?

The range of fruit trees that grow in the UK is enormous, so focusing on what you most like to eat is the best place to start. Apple trees and plum trees are easily the most popular, but other fruit trees that are easy to grow include peach, cherry, fig, citrus and pear trees. 

Once you’ve decided which fruits you enjoy eating, think about the actual variety and taste. So you want an apple tree, but do you want a cooker or an eater? Do you prefer a crisp crunchy apple or a softer, sweeter type? Will you use the apples quickly or do you want ones that store well? Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have narrowed down the choice quite considerably. 

What size will the fruit tree reach at maturity?

Most fruit trees are sold at 2 to 3 years of age and will still have some growing to do. The rootstock chosen for grafted trees determines the vigour and eventual size, so this is an important check to make. Some new fruit trees will be happy and productive growing in large pots. Others will need a large open space in which to grow and spread.

The most common root stocks available at Dobies include: 

Pear rootstocks:

• Quince C: (dwarfing) used for bush/dwarf pyramid trees; typically reaching 3m
• Quince A: (semi-vigorous) one of the most common bush or half-standard rootstocks used in the UK, typically reaching 3.5-4.5m at maturity

Plum rootstocks:

• P22: a newer alternative to Pixy, reaching 2.5-3m
• St Julien A: (semi-vigorous) reaching 4-4.5m

Apple rootstocks:

• M27: (extremely dwarfing) reaching a height of up to 1.5m 
• M9/ Pajam 9/ P9: (dwarfing) reaching a height of up to 2.5m 
• M26: (dwarfing) reaching a height of 2.5-3m 
• M6: (semi-dwarfing) reaching a height of up to 3m 
• MM106: (semi-dwarfing) reaching a mature height of 3-4m 

Cherry rootstocks:

• Gisella 5: (dwarfing) reaching a height of up to 2m 
• Gisella 6: (semi-vigorous) reaching a mature height of up to 4m
• Colt: (semi-vigorous) reaching a mature height of 5m 

How will the fruit tree be pollinated? 

Unless you’re adding to an already established mixed orchard you’ll need to find out whether your tree is self-fertile. Many fruit trees are self-fertile and will produce fruit whether or not there are other trees of the same type in the locality. Other fruit trees will need cross-pollination from a tree in the same pollination group.

What’s the best time to buy fruit trees?

Pot-grown fruit trees are available all year round, but bare root trees are my favourite option and can be bought from about November to March. At Dobies, our bare root fruit trees are lifted once they become fully dormant, in late autumn, as this causes the minimum of damage. We then keep them in specially designed cold stores for a number of weeks. 

In nature, young fruit trees benefit from exposure to traditional winter weather where the low temperatures prime the tree to produce abundant blossom in its first couple of years. The advent of milder, wetter winters means that a tree left outside doesn’t always get these ‘chill hours’ – cold storage before planting ensures the best possible start.

Where to plant your fruit trees

Fruit trees grow well in most soil types provided the ground isn’t waterlogged. However, plenty of sunlight is essential, and areas of deep shade should be avoided. It’s also a good idea to try to avoid places where fruit has previously grown, as this reduces the risk of ‘re-plant disease’.

Many smaller trees will grow happily in a pot. Dobies stocks a great variety of mini-fruit trees designed specifically for containers. And if you have citrus trees in the conservatory, move them outside for the summer to give a Mediterranean feel to any patio. Grow them in a 30L container or larger, avoiding plastic which is light and more likely to be blown over.

What are the most common ways to train fruit trees?

The ability to train fruit trees into different shapes means they can be grown in any garden. For a traditional tree shape, choose a standard fruit tree. The mature size will be determined by which rootstock has been used. 

For a decorative display against a wall or fence, you can choose to train your tree into a fan (with branches fanned out from the trunk) or an espalier shape (with branches trained into horizontal tiers). 

To grow more than one variety in a small space, a cordon tree, also known as a columnar, is ideal. These have one main stem with short fruiting spurs. They can be planted against a wall, fence, or wire and post support at a 45-degree angle, or grown as a free-standing vertical. 

Young trees can also be trained as decorative step-overs to edge lawns or borders.

What are the best fruit trees for training into different forms?

You can train most fruits in most ways, but I like to stick to apples and pears for espaliers, peach, apricot, plum and cherry trees for fans, and dwarf rootstocks for cordons and step-overs. Here are some suggestions: 

• Espaliers – Apple ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ is a good variety as it fruits on short side shoots or spurs making it easier to keep in shape.
• Fans – Cherry ‘Stella’ makes an attractive and productive fan. Choose Gisela 5 rootstock for a height of 3-4m and Colt for a tree of 6-8m.
• Cordons – Pear ‘Concorde’ is perfect for growing as a cordon because it’s naturally compact. 
• Step-overs – apples grafted onto M27 rootstock and pears on Quince C rootstock are the best fruit to train this way. Try Apple ‘Scrumptious’ or Pear ‘Conference’.

Five of the best fruit trees for large gardens

• For a classic pear that can be eaten raw or cooked, choose ‘Conference’, which also stores well. For a large garden, a Quince A rootstock will produce a mature tree of 3m-4m high.
• Plum ‘Victoria’ produces masses of sweet fruit and is self-fertile. On a St. Julien rootstock, it will reach 4.5m high.
• Apple ’Elstar’ produces beautiful glossy red fruit with a honey flavour and plenty of crunch.
• Hazelnut ‘Red Cracker’ not only produces tasty nuts, it also has beautiful red foliage.
• Gage ‘Old Green Gage’ is an old variety that can be eaten raw or made into delicious jam.

Five of the best fruit trees for small gardens

• Fig ‘Brown Turkey’ is self-fertile and perfect for a container. It will grow to just 2m high with a spread of 1m.
• Apple ‘Wonder Tree Glory of Kapelle’ is self-fertile, so there’s no need for a second tree, and produces firm, aromatic flesh covered by unusual golden yellow skin.
• Pear ‘Wonder Tree Doyenne du Comice’ is a space-saving variety that can be grown in a patio container. 
• Crab apple ‘Brandywine’ is a great small tree in all seasons. Spring produces scented blossom and beautiful foliage, while in autumn there’s stunning colour and fruit.
• Cherry ‘Crown Morello’ a fabulous sour cherry that will get to only 2m if grafted onto Gisella 5 rootstock.

Five of the best fruit trees for patio containers

• Fig ‘Little Miss Figgy’ is not only small enough to grow in a container, it also produces two crops of juicy fruits a year.
• Enjoy sweet fruit without having to grow a full-sized tree with Cherry ‘Sylvia Column’, which has a narrow shape that’s perfect for containers.
• Apple ‘Appletini’ is a compact variety with pretty blossom followed by bite-sized fruit.
• Patio Peach is a dwarf variety that may be small but doesn’t skimp on harvest size or flavour.
• Pear ‘Obelisk Column’ has been specially bred for growing on a patio and produces lots of juicy fruits with a great flavour.

We hope this has helped you choose the best fruit tree for your garden. Read our guide to planting fruit trees for more practical tips.