[crosseyedsheep]

The varieties available tomorrow are on the flier (I only saw it last night), here's a quick guide to choosing trees tomorrow.
I’d recommend reading the sticky above if you want to have a better understanding of the info below.

Apple:
The 4 apple varieties are compatable pollinators, except that the brambly is sterile but will except pollen from the others.
You'll need at least 2 Dessert varieties, any combination will do.
If you want to have Brambly apples then you will need to plant 2 different dessert varieties as well, to have apples on all 3 varieties. One dessert variety is capable of pollinating several brambly if you want loads of cooking apples.

Brambly (Culinary)
Cox’s Orange (Dessert) (Note: Flyer doesn’t say if it’s Pippin, Flanders or Queen variety)
Golden Delicious (Dessert)
Granny Smith (Dessert)


Pears:
The 2 pears are compatable pollinators, you'll need to plant at least one of each to produce a crop:
Doyenne de Comice Pear
Beurre Hardy Pear

Plums and cherry:
The following 3 are self fertile, any one on it's own will produce a crop, a compatable different variety will produce a better crop. The 2 plum trees are compatable:
Stella Cherry
Victoria Plum
Golden Gage Plum[/i]

[MargeSimpson]

Ok before anybody says anything - I know I should have looked up some info before purchasing but I didn't.
In my enthusiasm to 'try my hand at anything and everything' I bought 2 pear and one cherry tree. I couldn't get any apple trees.

crosseyedsheep - when you said 'get there early' you weren't joking!!! It was my first time in Lidl and there were definite Lidl professional shoppers in action! Oh! and thanks for ALL the info above.

Anyway, my question is; how much can I keep these trees trimmed back before they stop giving fruit or die altogether. I really don't have that much room for them. I could put them at the side of my house but then there wouldn't be enough sun. I think there would be definite objections from my neighbours if the cherry tree reached 15ft

[crosseyedsheep]

Hi Marge,

Don't worry, you can keep the trees fairly small by pruning, If you have a south - west facing wall you could plant them up against it and train them as an espalier or cordon, here's some info:

http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/training_systems.htm
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/general/espalier.html

Some pictures:



It's a great way of planting them especially the pear trees, and they would make pretty cool wall cover. I got some more Pear trees and I intend training them up against a fence, I don't have a suitable wall.

Edit: Here's another link, it's about training an apple tree, good step by step:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_espalierapple.shtml



.

[MargeSimpson]

Tsx crosseyedsheep! There is some great info there.