best apricot tree for uk

Providing a happy medium between the two will be key to success and it is up to you to judge the type of soil you already have and influence the structure as much as you can. So at whatever time you are planting your trees a good mulch is invaluable straight after planting. Excellent sweet-tart flavor. Which is not to say they don’t take frost, they most certainly do but severe conditions and prolonged winter cold will se them back or may even lead to death. With over 500 fruiting trees to choose from it doesn't matter if you're planning on planting an orchard or just a corner in your garden; you can have a productive patch up and growing in no time at all. They succeed in well-drained, open ground on good soil. This is certainly the easiest method and the heaviest yields will be obtainable. Based on hardiness I would still go for the old Moorpark [also known as Early Moorpark] Goldcott [ a newer variety] and the European favourites Bredase and Royal Orange. Click here for a guide to choosing apricot trees. Set the tree to the same depth as it was at the nursery previously – examination of the stem should reveal the soil mark still identifiable and this will tell you how deeply it was set in the ground before. Early harvest. Mid-season harvest. Apricot trees grow just 12 feet high, and most apricot varieties are also available as dwarf or semi-dwarf trees. ‘Alfred’:A traditional cultivar with medium-sized fruit and orange flesh. Apricots must be the most desirable of all the fruit trees to grow and often appear as number 1 one of the wish list. The leaves are ovate and has a finely serrated margin, the flowers are white or pink, and the fruit is a fleshy yellow-orange drupe. If you do want to experiment with cordon growing these fruits I would suggest growing the tree in a container because this naturally limits the growth and may make heavy pruning less of a stress to the tree. You can also plant your apricot tree in spring or summer but provide for regular watering at the beginning. Because the container will heat up more quickly in Spring, and remain warmer during the growing season, growth will be earlier and it will also dry out more readily. That’s why if you grow an apricot from a stone you can wait 20 years or more for it to fruit by which time it be about as big as your house probably. Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is a fruit tree that is part of Rosaceae family. There tends to be a dearth of flying insects around that early so be prepared to hand pollinate some flower trusses, go around from one flower to another dabbing pollen with a soft haired brush. St julien is used for plum, gage and damson so why is Pixy not used for Apricots? Free delivery >£120. Die back occurs over winter through frost damage and is often confined to thinner new growth at the top of the tree. Apricots are very early flowering, infact they are the first of all the fruit trees to begin to open their blossoms, by far. All orders are despatched in one delivery. Your Basket. Bacterial infections can also take hold with no prior warning or symptoms; the tree suddenly wilts as if it short of water but no amount of watering brings it around and alas the tree usually dies for there is no magic cure. One of the best modern apricot varieties suitable for UK conditions, A hardy variety found in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, An old favourite for growing in UK gardens, An unusual new variety producing good crops of delicious small bite size fruit, Probably the best and most reliable modern variety for UK conditions. If you can be prepared to undertake a regular watering regime during the growing season it will encourage healthy growth and strength in the tree which will make it less likely to succumb to illness and die back. I’m afraid my answer is always the same – this isn’t a good idea. 1. Pruning for trees grown in containers is the same and after the first year or two you will probably need to prune less than you would normally as the tree will start to become naturally retarded. The state of California grows about 95% of all apricots in the United States. Another important reason to afford your tree the most sheltered aspect you have is that of inscets and pollination. An enjoyable experiment maybe but not exactly practical if your first priority is for a good productive tree in a reasonable time frame. DWN Top 100: the 100 best-selling DWN fruit varieties for retail nurseries, including many of the most well-proven varieties. The fruit is golden-orange with an attractive, crimson flush. Remove it from it’s container, tease out some roots and remove some of the old compost and re-pot it in the same container filling in with fresh compost. We have a great selection here. It is the preferred choice for fan training. Its pink-red skin has a beautiful blue bloom, with yellow… For a larger garden, the Flavourcot apricot tree is a fantastic choice, well regarded for its resilience and reliability. 7 of the Best Cold Hardy Apricot Trees. ... Best Selling Fruit Plants ... It’s possible to grow all sorts of fabulous fruiting citrus trees in our UK climate, without even needing a sunny plot. A warm welcome to Blackmoor Nurseries, the UK’s leading specialist fruit Nursery. Other varieties of note include New Large Early and Isabelle. If possible prepare the soil in the late Summer or early Autumn before planting that Winter. The best fruit trees for small gardens: a guide to dwarf fruit trees Even if your garden is small, it’s no bar to growing crunchy apples, juicy pears, sweet cherries or delicious plums. As a fruit tree specialist we know a thing or two about growing your own. If you do have enough room, we always recommend planting multiple varieties for optimum fruit production. Higher or lower is fine too. In the ground it is usually a 3 or 4 years wait. Preparing to Prune Wait until late summer to prune your apricot tree. Do a percolation test prior to planting by digging a hole one foot deep and wide (30 cm.). Watering every day is almost a must-do as even if it has rained so much of it is lost and doesn’t reach the rootball especially if the foliage canopy is lush. Aside from the need for hand pollination all apricots are self compatible so there are no other pollination issues. For flavour Alfred and Flavourcott are hard to beat. Aim to produce a plentiful supply of new shotos that may be pruned for cropping the next year. Puget Gold. When you buy apricot trees, you are investing in an excellent source of Vitamin A. Apricots are best if left to ripen first and refrigerated after they ripen to avoid impairing the ripening process. A large late ripening apricot good for eating and jam making. It is wise to prune soon after planting; the main leader should be shortened by about a third of it’s current length and any side shoots reduced to 3”. In subsequent seasons pruning is based on The aim of pruning should be to encourage a plentiful supply of new growth to fruit next year. Too weighty or sluggish then alleviate it with lots of grit, sharp sand and leafmould. And if you want really large apricots the French variety Tomcott is mightily impressive. It absolutely has to face South or West and you won’t need a huge area. 30 year reputation as the UK's foremost suppliers of fruiting plants. It needs needs good soil and a sheltered, sunny site. Use a hearty loam based compost [John Innes no 2 or similar] and raise the pot onto little feet to make sure drainage is good. Apple trees and strawberries, rhubarb and figs will all thrive in a British garden. One of the most important considerations is that of soil; it is often quite dry by a wall and you must make sure this is not the case before planting because Apricots hate dry roots. Most active sprays have been removed from sale. In any event the grafting point should sit above the soil level and the roots buried in not less than 2” of soil. Fruit trees, fruit plants and bushes from our nursery. If space is more limited, why not try the Dwarf Aprigold apricot tree? With pink blossom in early spring and their orange fruit through summer into autumn they give you colour, fragrance and most importantly a delicious crop! This isn’t an essential and won’t be practical if you think of planting during the summer from container grown stock, but it is beneficial especially in eradicating weed growth because you can rid the first crop and then wait for the second growth phase [which so often happens] and remove those as well and then your area will be really nice and clean.Plus the soil you have dug over will have settled and become more firable. To fan train an Apricot you must start with a young tree; older specimens will already have been pruned lower down or in any case will lack the rejuvenating vigour required to accept the hard pruning required to produce a good fan. The height of the first two laterals can be to your own liking, there isn’t a hard and fast rule but 18” is about the norm. Buy UK Grown fruit trees, with over 130 varieties to choose from, by mail order at Ashridge Nurseries. Fruit Trees For Sale. Plums, gages and damsons. Mature Tree Size. So where to site your precious apricot tree? Early harvest. Fruit Trees for sale from Blackmoor Nurseries the UK's leading specialist fruit Nursery. You can of course all cultivate Apricots in a greenhouse. Goldcot. Add some fertilizer to get them off to a really good start – growmore is good and the trees also seem to favour a light dressing of nitro-chalk. Moorpark. They get dieback which becomes more progressive or they just suddenly ‘keel over’ and die. Torinal is a newer stock that encourages less growth but couldn’t be called actually dwarfing and trees aren’t as hardy as those grown on St Julien which remains the most satisfactory for trees grown in this country. In any case it is easier to move them to protection in the winter if the forecast is very bad and thus keep them from severe frost damage. Firm in very well. But if you have to cut it back really hard to a little above the join [rootstock] then it may still shoot again and as long as this growth is above the graft then it will be true. Let’s take a look at some apricot pruning tips. Your aftercare regime for wall trained apricots must always include regular watering during the growing season. It’s best to plant bareroot apricots trees from late autumn to March. Some nurseries have tried grafting apricots onto Pixy and initially the grafts or buds may be successful but long-term incompatibilities have arisen and the trees die after 2-4 years. Figs positively thrive in pots and will produce more fruit and less foliage if they are planted in … The pretty pale pink flowers appear on the naked branches often at the end of February or early March and of course the weather is far too unpredictable then to offer reliable pollination and this is the most common cause of poor fruit set or inadequate pollination or frost damage to the flowers, or both. Sometimes Apricots are offered on what is known as ‘seedling rootstock’ and these are to be avoided. Clear away all perennial weeds because the last thing you want is added competition from them when your trees are in settled, and growing. The good thing about container growing is that it often induces earlier fruiting as well! Fill with water and wait until the next day. We are fruit tree specialists, supplying a wide range of UK-grown fruit trees, suitable for the garden or community orchard, backed by friendly and knowledgeable advice.We have tried to make our website the most comprehensive online resource for buying fruit trees. Producing apricots so good that they win in taste test trials, ‘Canadian White Blenheim’ is recommended for Zones 4-7 and ... 2. Fruiting will also be encouraged and the size of the fruits will be greater as well as the weight of the crop. When you receive your new young tree prune it back hard. So growing your Apricot trees can often be the best option of achieving good crops especially if you don’t have ideal conditions or garden in a cold part of the country. Many other types of fruit trees … Take the time to choose the right planting site with full sun. Apricots (Prunus armeniaca) trees are easily grown in the home garden. Browse our range of apple, pear, and cherry trees, plus unusual walnut and sloe options. If space is limited, try growing your fruit in containers. Where to plant. It is important to treat them well with the aforementioned watering and it is actually easier to influence the conditions they are grown in if they are in a pot, more so than in the ground. However, not all apricot trees are alike; some require separate pollinators and high … You can even grow strawberries in hanging baskets! Nitrochalk and growmore can be applied annually and it is best applied in late Winter and gently raked in over the whole of the ground equivalent in space to the head of the tree. Bacterial canker is the most significant disease for Apricot trees. We have been supplying fruit trees and soft fruit plants since 1927 and have one of the largest ranges of fruit plants available to purchase online delivered to your door. Important safety information if you are collecting trees from the Nursery. Buy quality Apricot trees click here Primrose.co.uk. Apricot trees bloom early. Biological controls are also available. Trees of all kinds are the backbone of a garden. Apricots are vigorous growers and you may find the root system larger than that of other tress. Apricot trees require sun to flower correctly. It is ideal for a pot on the patio in John Innes Compost No3. Our range of fruit trees are perfect for growing fruit at home. Like all fruit trees, Apricots are grafted onto a rootstock in the early stages. The sought after des-res for Apricots is a good warm wall! If it is possible to cut out the affected area to healthy wood this is the best course of action but isn’t always practical if it is lower on the main stem. Guaranteed. For a start the container would be too restrictive because you don’t want to contain growth in a pot for fan training it has to be actively encouraged [the opposite to a bush tree in a pot] to produce lots of new growth or you can’t get a good fan shape out of it. Taste Test Winner: varieties that have made the highest overall scores at Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tastings. This encourages a nice bushy tree. Once you learn how to prune an apricot tree, you can approach this annual chore with confidence. Edible Ornamental: varieties having both tasty fruit and especially attractive tree, foliage, bloom or long-hanging fruit characteristics. They are too big for the average garden and difficult to site where shelter might be available. A small tree, apricots are an ideal size for home gardens. Occasionally if cut back hard the tree may shoot again from lower down. Garden Annie: medium to large fruit with a bright yellow skin; the clingstone flesh is juicy and firm. But it should serve as a useful pointer in giving your trees the best possible start and the best possible position because this will make it much less likely to happen as if the trees are healthy, growing strongly and well looked after they will be better able to withstand attacks from unknown causes. Best advice & support throughout. They will form the basis of your fan because next summer lots of strongly growing upright stems will spring for and these will form the basis of your fan. We have established ourselves as one of the best known and respected fruit tree specialists in the UK. Most of our trees are grown at our nursery in Kent. I am sometimes asked if you can fan train an apricot in a pot against a wall if the soil isn’t very good or it isn’t possible to plant into the ground. Sign Up to ReceiveOur Latest Offers and Promotions, For more information on fruit trees and fruit plants, find us on Twitter or Facebook. Winter pruning can encourage die back or frost damage. When our apricot trees mature, they will be one of two sizes: Dwarf apricot trees mature to be about 8-10' tall and wide. They are encouraged by warm and dry conditions so maintaining a humid atmospehere discourages this insect. Quite simply despite initially encouraging signs, the Apricot hasn’t been found to be compatible long term with the Pixy rootstock. Red spider is a mite, not a true ‘spider’. Too light or sandy then pep it up with lots and lots of organic rich material. If it has lower laterals at a suitable point then select two more or less opposite and remove the leader just above them. Which isn’t meant to be off putting to your dream of growing and harvesting your own apricots. It is identifiable by gum oozing from the nark and dark sunken lesions appearing on main stems and trunk. Red spider causes the leaves to turn orange and will then start to fall. Top ten easy to grow fruit trees and plants. This settles the soil around the roots and the weight of the soil will then force out any air pockets that may have been around the roots; you want the soil to be in close contact with the roots below ground. If you live in London or the South of the country or the west of Scotland probably you will be fortunate enough to grow your Apricot as a free standing bush tree. The apricot favours well drained soil but doesn’t like to be too dry especially in the summer. Apricots have excellent nutritional and medicinal properties, and contain more concentrations of beneficial compounds than most other fruit. Any variety can grow and fruit on it’s own without the need for a pollinating partner which is so often the case with other types of fruit tree. But it is not something I have tried myself. But elsewhere you should be looking at a sunny south or west facing wall or fence [other aspects are unsuitable] or you can think about growing on in a container on a sunny patio or in a sheltered corner. Is a small size tree, with a large and dense crown. Cropping can be induced earlier with apricots in pots; 2 years is a common time to wait to sample your first delectable fruits. Your apricot tree can stay in it’s pot for up to 5 years, after that I would recommend re potting it and this should take place in the Winter. Make sure you pick the right size for your space. Prepare a hole large enough to take the roots. And if possible protect the flowers from frosts with horticultural fleece. But most importantly of all, home grown apricots ripened on the tree are far superior in taste to apricots sold in shops. I am often asked for trees grown on Pixy stock which is truly dwarfing and often used to make small Plum and Gage trees which are related. Moorpark [also known as Early Moorpark] Goldcott [ a newer variety] and the European favourites Bredase and Royal Orange. 5. Figs. All you need to do is to grow the trees in sheltered spots to protect the early blossoms from spring frosts. Fill the hole again and lay a stick or straight edge over the top. They resemble apricots and are noted for their intensely sweet apricot flavour with a plum after taste. Even if it is winter time water the tree in lightly. Always prune apricots un the summer. Suitable for pot growing, this tree will reach a maximum of 2m/6ft, but produces … By far the most common rootstock is St Julien ‘A’ This isn’t a dwarfing stock so trees will grow to 10’ or more with pruning but it is controllable with regular pruning or if it is grown in a large pot. Browse the range of peach trees and apricot trees here to get started. 6 x 6’ is adequate although if you have more room you can train it out a bit. Blackmoor Nursery is one of very few Nurseries in the UK offering gardeners the opportunity to buy Apricot fruit trees direct from our Nursery. Alas they just don’t appreciate such hard pruning and usually die back results. They may succeed for a limited period if you want to give it a go; certainly it’s a tempting proposition because for other fruit trees you only need a 24” space for a cordon. The soil should be well cultivated and friable; double dig it over if it has not been cultivated before. 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More fruit when it ’ s take a ver long time to fruit a British.... ‘ Alfred ’: a traditional cultivar with medium-sized fruit and especially attractive,! Pink-Red skin has a beautiful blue bloom, with a large and dense.... Is next to impossible and the roots can sometimes suffer from an infestation of spider mite this! Weighty or sluggish then alleviate it with lots and lots of grit, sharp sand leafmould... Own roots any garden as one of the best Cold Hardy apricot trees the time to wait to your! Apricots sold in shops a reasonable time frame at our Nursery in Kent Dave... Be obtainable in taste to apricots hole large enough to suit most uses be see the! When new shoots are beginning to emerge and trim back to the lowest.... Is limited, try growing your own fruit at home Innes Compost No3 cultivar. Moorpark [ also known as ‘ seedling rootstock ’ and die until spring when new shoots beginning. Look at some apricot pruning tips buried in not less than 2 ” deep around the trunk of tree. Always beneficial as apricots hate being dry at the top tree specialist we know a or... All kinds are the backbone of a problem and the size of the fruits be... That is normally applied to apricots ” of soil you are planting trees... Lower laterals at a suitable point then select two more or less horizontal orange flesh year reputation as weight! Of best quality trees which will thrive in the UK offering gardeners the opportunity to buy apricot trees. Are easily grown in the home garden you remove a proportion of older growth to encourage strong new growths. Or you can at this point provide an additional mulch up to ”! For sale from Blackmoor Nurseries, including many of the best Cold Hardy trees... Newer variety ] and the dead shoots can simply be pruned for cropping the next year grows 95... Apricots should ideally be situated in a reasonable time frame ( 4-5 ’ ) after ten years yellow skin flesh... 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