Top ten fruit trees for the UK

'Crown Morello' produces a good crop of cooking cherries
Image: Cherry 'Crown Morello' from Thompson & Morgan (© from T&M)

With so many hardy fruit trees from which to choose, it can be difficult to make a decision! From attractive heritage varieties to exciting new cultivars, there are also dwarf fruit trees that are suitable for container growing. Whether you're looking for crisp apples, mouth-watering mulberries, juicy plums or flavoursome pears, here are 10 of our horticultural team's all time favourite fruit trees to try in your garden:

1. Apple 'Discovery'
2. Apple 'Wonder Tree Elstar' (Patio variety) '
3. Pear 'Mini Conference' (Patio variety)'
4. Plum 'Victoria'
5. Cherry Sunburst'
6. Nectarine 'Lord Napier'
7. Peach 'Peregrine'
8. Apricot 'Flavorcot' ©
9. Mulberry 'Charlotte Russe'
10. Gage 'Reine Claude d'Oullins'

Browse our full range of fruit trees for even more inspiration.

1. Apple 'Discovery'

This popular red apple is reliable and easy to grow
Image: Apple 'Discovery' from Thompson & Morgan

Apple 'Discovery has a sweet flavour with a hint of strawberry. Although this popular variety is best eaten fresh from the tree rather than being stored through the winter, surplus fruits can be pressed into delicious juice.

Grafted onto M9 rootstock, this apple tree will reach a mature height of 2.5m, making it suitable for smaller gardens. Reliable and easy to grow, it crops from late August and produces the best yields when planted near another tree from pollination group 3.

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2. Apple 'Wonder Tree Elstar' (Patio variety)

This patio variety can be grown in a large container:
Apple 'Wonder Tree Elstar' from Thompson & Morgan

Reaching a height of around 1m, Apple 'Wonder Tree Elstar' iis a super-compact variety that produces heavy crops of red apples that are a cross between Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie. The medium-firm fruits have an intense, honey flavour balanced with good acidity. This RHS award-winning patio apple tree couldn't be easier to grow, requiring almost no pruning and very little care. Plant it in the ground or grow in a large pot on a patio or balcony. The fruits should be ready to harvest in September.

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3. Pear 'Mini Conference' (Patio variety)

Full-sized juicy pears grow on this compact tree
Image: Pear 'Mini Conference' (Patio variety) from T&M ' from T&M

'Conference' is the UK's most popular pear variety due to its versatility – the fruits are delicious raw but also have an exceptional flavour and texture when cooked! The bell-shaped fruits are smooth and juicy, and can be stored for several months. Harvest your pears in October and November when still slightly firm, and allow them to slowly ripen indoors.

We've chosen Pear 'Mini Conference' as it reaches a mature height of just 1.2m making it suitable for gardens of all sizes. However you can also buy the full-sized 'Conference' pear tree if you have plenty of space.

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4. Plum 'Victoria'

This popular dessert plum crops heavily in summer
Image: Plum'Victoria' ' from T&M

Look no further than Plum 'Victoria' for perfect fruits every year! This hardy variety is the nation's favourite for good reason, it's reliable, self-fertile and crops heavily in August. What's more, the fruits are delicious for both snacking and cooking.

Depending on where you want to grow your plum tree, you have several options. Choose a standard, semi-dwarf, espalier or bare root tree to get the ideal solution for your garden.

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5. Cherry 'Sunburst'

Cherry 'Sunburst' is one of the sweetest varieties
Image: Cherry 'Sunburst' from T&M from T&M

Cherry 'Sunburst' earns its place in any garden even without the delicious fruits. The spring blossom is particularly lovely, but when the large, deep red cherries arrive in mid-July, you'll be completely entranced by their sweet flavour. If there's any left, you can even store them for a short while!

You don't need a huge garden to grow your own cherries. Choose 'Gisella' rootstock for containers and 'Colt' rootstock for a larger tree.

6. Nectarine 'Lord Napier

Nectarine 'Lord Napier' is suitable for outdoor growing in the UK
Image: Lavatera 'Barnsley' from T&M

Nectarine 'Lord Napier' is an early-ripening, white-fleshed variety that can be grown outdoors in the UK. It produces large, sweet and juicy fruits from August, and is one of the most reliable varieties for high yields.

For the best results, choose a south-facing spot in a sunny, sheltered position. If you have a south-facing wall, you can train your nectarine against it for extra support and shelter.

7. Peach 'Peregrine'

Peach 'Peregrine' is a delicious white-fleshed variety
Image: Image: Peach 'Peregrine' from T&M' from T&M

One of the best English varieties since it was introduced back in 1906, Peach'Peregrine' lholds an RHS Award of Garden Merit and produces heavy crops of delicious fruit from early August.

The juicy, white-fleshed peaches have a rich, sweet flavour. For the best results, protect the blossom from late frost and fan-train the branches against a wall in a sheltered, sunny position.

8. Apricot 'Flavorcot'©

Fresh apricots are ideal for snacking and cooking
Image: Apricot 'Flavorcot'© from T&M

They may seem exotic, but it's perfectly possible to grow apricots outdoors in the UK, especially if you have a sunny patio. In fact, Apricot 'Flavorcot'© is a late-flowering variety that has been specially bred to produce fruits with excellent colour, texture, aroma and flavour in our cooler climate.

The delicious orange-red fruits are ideal for cooking, as well as being sweet, juicy and aromatic when eaten fresh from the tree. They can be harvested from late July/early August.

9. Mulberry 'Charlotte Russe'

Mulberries are delicious fruits that are easy to grow
Image: Mulberry 'Charlotte Russe' from T&M

One of the easiest and fuss-free fruit trees to grow, mulberries are a great addition to any large garden, However if you don't have much space, you can still enjoy these special fruits on a much smaller scale. Mulberry 'Charlotte Russe' is a compact variety that reaches a mature height of just 2m. The compact stems produce juicy mulberries on both old and new wood from May through to September.

Winner of the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year award in 2017, this prolific fruiter is a must-have for small gardens or patio containers.

10. Gage 'Reine Claude d'Oullins'

This French gage variety produces beautiful yellow fruits
Image: Gage 'Reine Claude d'Oullins' from Thompson & Morgan

Plums and gages are amongst the most hardy fruit trees to grow in the UK, and the French variety Gage 'Reine Claude d'Oullins' is no exception. Choose the rootstock that best suits your garden, with semi-dwarf or larger options available.

This self-fertile variety produces large and attractive yellow fruits that can be picked early for cooking and baking, or left to ripen on the tree until August when they become sweet, juicy and delicious.

Find more information about how to grow fruit trees over at our dedicated hub page. And if you want advice on growing soft fruit and other exotic varieties, we've got you covered.