where to buy good quality fruit trees?

[Helenclare]

Hi all,

I would like to plant a small orchard in our garden, a couple of apple trees, pears, plums and perhaps a cherry tree. Could you suggest where I should look for these, I am prepared to invest the money to buy good quality stock and slightly mature trees to speed up the harvest time. Also, if I buy the smaller/ dwarf varieties how much space would I need to allow.
Many thanks in advance
Helen

[Clive.]

Hello,

We have in the past bought from Keepers; http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/ the website is full of info' including rootstock details including staking needs, soil and grassed orchard suitability and spacings.

and Deacons; http://www.deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk/ website seems to be being updated.

also Blackmoor; http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/ we had some good Goosberries from here...grown on a good leg.

More recently have gone back to R V Roger http://www.rvroger.co.uk/index.php?link ... roundfruit

At work we prefer to purchase maiden whips for fruit trees...establishing the tree on site at a younger age and training as location demands, choosing rootstock relative to requirements.

Clive.

[FelixLeiter]

I've always kept going back to Thornhayes, for quality and value, and for variety — they have a vast choice of cultivars.

[Helenclare]

Many thanks to you both for such quick replies, I will now go and browse the net following your suggestions.
Thanks again
Helen

[Geoff]

We've had good service of quality trees from http://www.jaspertrees.co.uk/

My wife was given a leaving present of a Quince tree from RV Roger - if I had paid for it I would have sent it straight back, as it was we struggled with it for three years before we bought a replacement from Paul Jasper that overtook it in a season.

[Tigger]

I don't think you can beat Frank Matthews for price or quality. We've been using them for over 20 years and they even replaced some failed raspberry canes without seeing the evidence.

If you order in bulk, they'll give you trade prices, as they have always done with us.

[heyjude]

We had excellent trees from Frank Matthews last year but looking at their web site today, it suggests they only supply trade and you can't as an individual buy direct.

I rang them winter 07/08 and said we were nothing like commercial but wanted to plant a small orchard and could I buy from them and they were very helpful. They only deliver huge orders but you can order and then collect from the nursery shop. You can just turn up but they only have a tiny selection on show (and all in pots of course) and they are happier to see people by appointment. And the trees were very good and healthy.

Incidentally you are always told that younger trees catch up very quickly and I had never really believed it. But from our experience over the last few years, they really do get going much more quickly than bigger trees and some whips don't even need staking.

Good luck

[Stephen]

Why not try the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale?
http://www.brogdale.org
See the thread I started "In praise of..." http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7611
If you are after apples, they have an apple festival 17-18 October.

[snooky]

Evening Helenclare,
If you drive down to Blackmoor"s who are in Liss in Hampshire,they will give you good advice to help you decide on what you want and you can see what you are buying.

[Helenclare]

Thank you all again for the information, I am very keen to buy some nice trees and support the British fruit nursery's - an apple tasting day would be even better as I have narrowed down the choices but it is still overwhelming.
For apples I am considering;

Arthur Turner
Charles Ross
Fiesta
Lady Henniker

All are Group B and sound as though they will grow well in Bucks soil.

For pears I am considering;

Beth
Onward All group D
Winter Nells

or William Bon Cretien and Beurre Hardy. Both Group C

I have an area of freshly dug garden 7m by 3m and can get 5 small trees in I think.
Any thoughts very welcome
Helen

[Tigger]

Matthews will deal directly with individuals and small orders as long as you go to see them or telephone them. We usually order in the spring and collect in the autumn. We'll be there again next month and there's usually an opportunity to see what they have 'left over', namely not ordered, and you can take them away. As Jude says, they don't deliver small orders but you could get together with others and make an order worthwhile for them.

As an example, we had 18 blueberries last year and they only charged us £6 per plant. They were big, robust bushes that have given us loads of fruit this year, enough to have blueberries every day and plenty for jam. We chose 3 different varieties that fruit at various times so we've got another month or so to go before they finish for this year.

We bought all our fruit trees (70 or more) on short/dwarf stock so we won't have to climb ladders to collect the fruit in our old age!

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've been getting most of mine from Deacons for quite a few years now. They have such a wide choice of varieties, root stocks, family trees - with two, three or four varieties on one plant, and their catalogue is extremely informative and set out with what ripens early, mid season and late and even tells you how long they will last in store.

I think someone asked in the KG magazine recently which varieties they would need for apples most of the year, and it would be easy to work it out from Deacon's catalogue.

They are well packed and good vigorous plants, and the one that failed was replaced quickly without question.

[andrewje]

I've always used Hopes Grove Garden Nusery as they have always been very helpful when it comes to advice and I can buy online as I live in the middle of nowhere.

[Westi]

Mine have all been from Deacons and the service and instructions
are excelent. I always get good size trees, for the same price other
plot holders have got much smaller specimens.

Westi

[Snip]

Hi Helen,

I revamped my garden this year and put in a lot of fruit trees and as I hadn't really done it before needed lots of advice. I found Jan Cook at http://lodgefarmplants.com/ the most helpful lady I have ever come accross. I have bought step over fruit trees, seeds for meadow grass, a fan plum tree and we are now talking about blueberries. We have lots of email chats with tips, variety selections, what would suit my garden, how the plants are doing, if I think they have taken, what I need to do where and when she is the pinnacle of Customer Service. She lives in Warwickshire but she packages everything beautifully and uses a good courier service everything has arrived when she said it would and in fab conidition.

I hope that gives you some more options