2007: Read about the latest fruits with improved features, and order from online suppliers here
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| Blueberries need acid soil so they're ideal for pots
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'Remember some apples, pears and plums need two varieties to be grown for the fruit to pollinate successfully.'
With more and more people choosing to eat healthily, fruit growing is undergoing a renaissance. The major UK mail order companies have responded with exciting offerings for both the beginner and the more experienced fruit grower. If you don't have space for an orchard, you can grow fruit trees in mixed borders, as specimens, trained against fences, or in containers, raised beds or on the patio.
There are many wonderful heritage fruit varieties worthy of conservation in our gardens. At the same time new varieties can extend the cropping season, thrive in a wider range of growing conditions and resist troublesome pests and diseases.
New fruit varieties 2007
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| Cranberry 'Red Star'
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Apples
Apple 'Cobra' is a cross between the British dessert and culinary apples 'Cox's Orange Pippin' and 'Bramley's Seedling'. The fruit cooks well in early September, but apples left on the tree eat well from mid-October. Price: £16.95 one tree; £15.50 each for two or more. Available from
Ken Muir and
Marshalls.
Apricots
In the last few years a clutch of new varieties from around the world have made it possible to grow apricots in UK gardens rather than in a glasshouse. There are even a few apricot orchards in Kent and Cambridgeshire.
'Flavourcot' is said to taste wonderful and suit warmer gardens. Price: £24.95 plus p&p. Available from Suttons.
'Larquen' is renowned for heavy cropping and 'Tomcot' is said to be the hardiest. Price: £24.95-£26.95 per tree. Available from Dobies.
Blackberry
Blackberry 'Loch Maree' has attractive, double, pink flowers. Plants are thornless and bear heavy crops of sweet, juicy berries. Price: £9.99 for a 9cm (3in) pot plus p&p. Exclusive to
Thompson & Morgan.
Blueberries
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| Recipe booklet from Trehane Nursery
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'Brigitta' from Australia is a good grower, says blueberry expert Jeremy Trehane. He also recommends 'Chandler', which has huge delicious fruits. Growing two different varieties results in cross-pollination and better quality fruit. If you haven't got the acid soil (pH 4.5-5.5) needed for blueberries, they make excellent container plants. Price: £7.50 for 15cm (6in) pots plus p&p (mail order). Available from blueberry specialist
Trehane Nursery, which also offers a booklet of blueberry recipes.
Cranberry
Like blueberries, cranberries are acid-loving, so container growing is recommended if your soil is alkaline. The creeping growth of cranberry 'Red Star' works well in a 30cm (12in) hanging basket. Enjoy pretty pink flowers in summer and red berries from October onwards, accompanied by a bronzing of the evergreen foliage. Price: one bush, £5.95; two or more, £5.45 each for autumn dispatch, so order soon. Available from
Marshalls.
Peach
Leaf curl is the scourge of peaches and almonds, so it is exciting to see peach 'Avalon Pride' as the first variety resistant to the disease. Despite much research on leaf curl, this was a chance find by a Miss Pride in woods close to her home near Seattle. Like apricots, peaches need a warm position and perhaps are best trained against a south-facing wall. Price: one tree costs £29.95 plus p&p. Available from
Dobies.
Pear
The recently introduced pear Invincible 'delwimor' is considered promising because it is self-fertile, crops heavily and is very hardy, unlike some pears. The fruits are never gritty. Pick in early October, keep in a cool place and bring indoors for ripening as required. Price: expect to pay about £17-19 per tree. Available from several suppliers including
Chris Bowers and
Ken Muir.
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| Disease-resistant peach 'Avalon Pride'
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Raspberries
'Polka', from Poland, crops heavily from July, bridging the gap between early and autumn varieties. Price: £11.95 for five plants, or £17.95 for 10 plants. Available from
Ken Muir and
Suttons.
One of the newest varieties from the Scottish Crop Research Institute, raspberry 'Glen Doll' is supplied as pot-grown canes for April 2008 delivery. These will establish easily and crop from July onwards. Price: three pots, £9.95; six pots, £15.90 plus p&p. Exclusive to DT Brown.
Strawberries
New strawberries for flavour and disease resistance include 'Albion', which fruits all season; 'Daisy', which crops in late summer; and early variety 'Darlisette'. Price: summer varieties, £14.24 for 12 plants; perpetual varieties, £16.95 for 12 including p&p. Available from
Ken Muir.
Mid-season strawberry 'Irresistible' came top in Thompson & Morgan's flavour trials. Price: £10 plus p&p for 12 plants. Exclusive to Thompson & Morgan.
'Sallybright' is another mid-season variety with an excellent flavour. Price: £12.95 for 12 plants. Exlusive to Dobies.
Fruit buying tips
Remember some apples, pears and plums need two varieties to be grown for the fruit to pollinate successfully. If you can't grow two or more varieties, choose a self-fertilie variety, or you may be able to rely on a neighbour's tree.
Fruit trees are grafted onto a rootstock and this controls the size of the tree. Fruit catalogues give details of the rootstocks available.
Work out where you are going to put the fruit before ordering – most fruit is sold in varying quantities.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Thursday 21 August 2008 | Help | Glossary 
