[Keeks]

I have an ornamental cheery tree which has seen better days and i would like to replace it with a fruit tree most likely an apple as i will be planting other apple trees so will make pollination easier.

As the location of the old cherry tree sits in view of the kitchen window, and had some nice colours (pink flowers, purple/Burgundy leaves) I would like the new tree to be something similar. Doesnt have to be the same colours but something with nice blossoms and leaves.

Its a project for later in the year so just looking for ideas now and doing a bit of research. Anyone got any suggestions?

[Greengage]

That sounds like a Prunus cereasifera Nigra.
What about a circus siliquastrum (Judas tree) Small nice to look at.
But if you wanta fruit tree then its Apple, Plum, or Strawberry???

[tippben]

Avoid plums and cherries (Prunus species) as they need the same trace nutrients as the old tree, and may well succumb to the pathogens the old tree has gathered over its life. After that, it's what you want to eat. Whatever you buy, check the rootstock used as this governs the vigour and ultimate size of the tree.

Personally, I'd plant a Quince (Cydonia oblonga) as I like quince jelly, and I can easily get apples. It has truly gorgeous early spring flowers. Another option would be a Black Mulberry (Morus nigra). No flowers to speak of (they are small and green!) but delicious fruit. They are also fun to gather. You lay a blanket on the ground, then shake the tree. The ripe fruit drops off. Birds also love them, so you won't end up with masses of fruit, but how nice to wake up and look out of the window at a tree full of different birds? They are slow growing, so are more expensive. You'd want a standard (6' clear stem) in a 150 or 200 litre pot. By the time they get to that size, they are fruiting.

[Keeks]

Thanks guys....now a Quince could be a nice option.

Any one know of good varieties of either aplle or quince?

[tagwex]

Elstar and John o gold for apples anyway.

[Good guy]

Check with local nursery growers re best apples for your local climate. They won't want to sell you trees that will do poorly.

[Margo]

They have fruit trees in Aldi at the moment

[Ado 2]

The local nurseries also know their customers and they tell them what has done well for them

[Kiwi_Ed]

Hello Keeks,

I would advise against buying fruit trees at Lidl or Aldi. We fell for that a couple of times with every time disappointing results (i.e. no apples, very little growth).

This became especially obvious when we bought some trees from Future Forests in Bantry, Cork. They gave us proper advice on which trees would work in our setting/location, friendly service and prices that aren't even that much more than the trees in lidl or aldi. But the biggest difference was noticed after one year, when the tree had grown considerable and was one and a half times the size of the Aldi/Lidl trees that were there already for more than 5 years (and hadn't actually grown that much at all..). The next year the first apples started to appear; on the trees from Lidl and Aldi that hadn't been a single apple in all that time!

So in my opinion the trees from Lidl and Aldi are an absolute waste of money and only cause disappointment in fruit growing!

[Margo]

Never had any problem with trees, bulbs or plants from Aldi or Lidl

[Kiwi_Ed]

Bulbs and plants have been doing all right for me as well (even though quite often I found the same plants in bigger pots in our 'local' garden centres, so I am wondering how cheap Lidl and Aldi really are..).

The trees however haven't performed at all and especially after seeing the difference between trees from the nursery I keep well away from these nameless trees that are sold for cheap!

But having said that, if the trees are working for you, Margo, they must work for other people as well! Our site is quite exposed with very little soil (one of the reasons we appreciated the advise from the nursery) and the cheap trees just didn't catch on while the (only marginally more) expensive trees did.

As a matter of fact, I am just after realising that one of the trees is almost ten years old, has never produced an apple and is now still about the same size as the trees we bought from the nursery two years ago.

[Margo]

Some trees have to have another tree of the same type in the same area. Perhaps the one that have that is 10 years old is one of those. I always buy the self pollenating ones. As I say no problem.