Fruit trees for small spaces

Squeezing fruit trees into a small garden isn't as impossible as it seems. Train fruit against fences and you'll not only fit in one tree – you can choose several from the mouthwatering range in our Kington garden centre. Here are some great ideas for fitting fruit into the smallest of gardens:

Compact varieties: Every year the growers conjour up the latest breakthrough in plant genetics. An advantage to those who have less space is the wider choice of fruit to suit this need. Apples , 'Red Windsor', Ballerina types are naturally compact. Cherry, 'Celeste', again naturally compact. The trick is to use dwarfing rootstocks and a less vigorous variety. See our 'rootstock guide' here

Minarettes: Vertical upright stems laden with fruit on short spurs. Great for growing in containers or for pretty vertical accents in your garden. Use for: apples, pears, plums and nectarines, cherries.

Cordons: Also single-stemmed, but trained at 45º to encourage more fruit. Spaced 75cm apart you'll fit four varieties into just 3m. Use for: apples, pears, redcurrants, gooseberries.

Espaliers: vertical stems with tiers of horizontal branches trained out at 30cm intervals along wires. A beautiful way to cover walls and fences. Use for: apples & pears.

Fans: branches are splayed out from two arms at the base in an even fan across the wall. Use for: plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots & figs.

Stepovers: like cordons but bent at right angles and trained horizontally to a wire at 45cm above the ground. They make wonderful edging. Use for: apples & pears.

Please ask the staff in our garden centre in Kington for more information and advice about growing fruit trees in small spaces.