Lidl compact fruit trees

johngalway

Hi folks,

I was in Lidl in Galway today, they have compact fruit trees including apple, pear and cherry. Sorry I don't recall the varities off the top of my had, got a few myself in a fit of madness I think they're €5 - €6 per tree.

ATB,

John

paddy147

johngalway wrote: »

Hi folks,

I was in Lidl in Galway today, they have compact fruit trees including apple, pear and cherry. Sorry I don't recall the varities off the top of my had, got a few myself in a fit of madness I think they're €5 - €6 per tree.

ATB,

John

Tesco (Clarehall and Omni Park) are selling them too.

4-5 feet tall root balled trees (apple,cherry,hazel,willow etc etc)

Also 6 euro each.

johngalway

Add plum to the lidl list as well.

fodda

What are the varieties of these apple and plum trees on sale?

magicbastarder

i think i remember reading somewhere that lidl have been known to stock fruit trees which are not ideally suited to our climate. granny smith was mentioned, i think.

redser7

They tend to stock a mixture, some which aren't suitable but some that are. You just need to be careful and do a bit of research before buying.

magicbastarder

that's lidl for you; it looks like a bargain, but you've bought a duck.

johngalway

What I got, says they're suitable for terraces or balconys:

Prunus Domestica "Victoria" (plum)

Prunus Domestica "Opal" (plum)

Pyrus Communis "Doyenne du comice" (pear)

Pyrus Communis "Conference" (pear)

Malus Domestica "Festival" (apple)

Malus Domestica "Gala" (apple)

Prunus Avium "Kordia" (Cherry)

I think there were Bramley and Golden Delicious apples as well. There may have been more varieties as well but I can't say, they seemed to be selling really well.

Northumbria

I did a lot of research into fruit trees before buying some from Aldi where they had a similar deal. In general the English varieties are good bets since many old and new varieties have been bred there for hardiness and reliability.

Prunus Domestica "Victoria" (plum)

An English variety which is continuously described as being by far the best choice for the UK or Ireland. It is noted for its hardiness and reliability along with good fruit yields, but the fruit is of average quality, nothing exceptional.
Self fertile, so doesn't need a partner to pollinate it (although if it does it will have better yields)

Prunus Domestica "Opal" (plum)

A decent choice and another fairly hardy English variety, basically like Victoria. Like Victoria, Self fertile so doesn't need a partner to pollinate it but will fruit better if it does. Victoria and Opal should pollinate each other.

Pyrus Communis "Doyenne du comice" (pear)

Many people say it has the best flavour of all pears, but not as hardy as many of the others. It should do OK, put it somewhere sunny though, the sun makes fruit sweeter, cool climates make it more acidic.

Pyrus Communis "Conference" (pear)

Very good choice. Again, another hardy English variety which is recommended in the UK for Northern England and Scotland.
Self fertile, but will provide more fruit if it has a partner (Doyenne du comice should be fine).
Noted for its abundant fruit yields and hardiness, it is the only one UK orchards really bother to plant on a large scale.

I've planted this one recently, a very handsome tree but I'll see how it does.

Malus Domestica "Festival" (apple)

Haven't heard of it before.

Malus Domestica "Gala" (apple)

Does better in Southern England, but will done fine in the rest of the UK or Ireland. Will do better in a sunny spot.

Prunus Avium "Kordia" (Cherry)

A Czech cultivar - needs a pollination partner. Morello is a better choice because it's self fertile, but it will probably get pollinated by nearby cherry trees in other gardens or the countryside.

I put in Morello a year ago and it's done very well so far. I found out latter that it was more for cooking than eating raw though, but they're okay for eating raw if you leave them until they're very ripe.

I think there were Bramley and Golden Delicious apples as well. There may have been more varieties as well but I can't say, they seemed to be selling really well.

Bramley's - Depends how big your garden is, they make big, robust trees - not for a balcony at all really. Very suitable for Ireland but they're cookers and you'll need a ladder once they've grown

Golden Delicious - don't bother, it won't do as well as some other varieties.

i think i remember reading somewhere that lidl have been known to stock fruit trees which are not ideally suited to our climate. granny smith was mentioned, i think.

Ireland or UK - don't bother, it only does well in sunny climates. It will bear some fruit, but don't expect anything amazing.

Northumbria

I personally planted a Morello cherry last year that has done fairly well and from the sheer amount of buds looks like it should do very well indeed this year.

I put in an apple and pear recently. The apple is "Elstar", it tastes a bit like Cox's but is a better choice apparently (less temperamental to cool climates). It is quite raggedy looking at the moment, all the apple trees at the shop got bashed about a bit. The Cox's weren't as healthy looking as the rest anyway.

The pear tree is "Conference", as I mentioned above it is probably the best choice for Ireland or the UK. It's a nice looking tree but its buds aren't developing at the moment like the apple's are, so I'm curious as to how it'll do.

I was considering a Victoria or Opal plum instead of a pear, but the trees didn't look as good. They've still got a few at Tesco (all gone at Aldi), so I might buy one and put it in a pot (I have space, but can't put any more trees in the garden - thin soils and building rubble a few feet down in the remaining suitable areas).

I got them from Aldi by the way.