How & Why to Incorporate Fruit Trees in Your Garden Design
Fruit trees hold a special place in garden design. They beautify your outdoor space and also offer practical benefits, from providing shade to yielding delicious, homegrown fruit. If you’re considering whether or not to add a fruit tree to your garden, you’ll want to read on. This article delves into how and why to add fruit trees to your garden design and explores how to create a thriving fruit garden.
Why Include Fruit Trees in Your Garden Design
Fruit trees can be an asset to any garden type. If you’re looking for a striking focal point, they can do just that, bringing height and structure to your garden landscape. During Spring, their seasonal blossoms bring bursts of colour, while in Summer and Autumn, they bear fruit giving added visual interest to your garden, as well as the fun of picking and eating your own produce.
Practically speaking, fruit trees can be planted to create natural boundaries within a garden space, helping to marcate or divide specific areas in your garden to enhance its overall layout.
Here are some of the many benefits of incorporating fruit trees into your garden design:
A Beautiful Aesthetic
As mentioned above, the spring blossoms that fruit trees bring can bring stunning displays. From the delicate whites of apple trees to the vibrant pink blossoms of the cherry tree, you and your visitors can enjoy the magic of seasonal blossoms. After blossom season, fruit tree foliage adds lush greenery, and when it comes to fruit bearing time, the fruit itself adds another dimension of colour and texture.
These aesthetics can bring harmony and beauty as well as the excitement of a dynamic and changing landscape.
Promote Biodiversity
If sustainability is an element you want to highlight in your garden design, then a fruit tree is a great option. Fruit trees provide habitats and sustenance for different wildlife, including food, shelter and nesting sites. Caterpillars and birds may shelter and eat the fruit. Spiders may shelter in them, and bees may enjoy the pollen from blossoms. Even foxes may eat the fruit! All of this helps in creating a well-balanced ecosystem.
By supporting a variety of life forms, fruit trees help maintain soil health, reduce pest populations naturally, and enhance pollination, all of which lead to a more resilient and thriving garden environment.
Protect Delicate Plants from Harsh Weather
Fruit trees offer practical benefits, such as providing shade and serving as windbreaks. They can help create microclimates in your garden, protecting more delicate plants from harsh weather.
For example, if you know you want plants that prefer shade to sun, such as foxgloves or hellebores, you may want to consider planting them underneath a fruit tree, where the shade of the fruit tree will protect them from the sun.
How To Select The Best Fruit Trees for Your Garden Design
Before selecting your fruit trees, you’ll need to assess the characteristics of your garden. How big is your garden? When and where does it get sunlight? What are the soil conditions like?
While some fruit trees, such as apricot and nectarine trees, require full sun, others, such as some varieties of cherry trees, can tolerate partial shade.
You will also need to choose a tree that is compatible with your soil type and drainage to ensure it has the best chance of thriving. Apples and pear trees can grow well in clay soil, for example, while plum trees grow best in well-drained sandy soil.
If you have a small garden space, you don’t necessarily have to steer clear of fruit trees. Depending on the space you have available, you may want to investigate dwarf fruit trees or espaliered apple trees. These varieties are specifically bred to be compact, making them ideal for limited spaces without sacrificing fruit production.
Popular Fruit Tree Options to Consider
Here are some of the most popular fruit trees people choose to incorporate into their garden designs, and for good reason. Read on to learn why.
Apple Trees
Apple trees are a versatile choice, available in numerous varieties that suit different climates and tastes. They are relatively easy to grow and maintain, making them perfect for both novice and experienced gardeners. They can grow to be quite large, often reaching heights of 15 to 20 feet, although dwarf varieties stay around 8 to 10 feet.
When selecting apple trees, consider types like 'Granny Smith,' known for its tart flavour and excellent baking qualities, or 'Honeycrisp,' which is prized for its sweet, juicy fruit and crisp texture. These trees not only provide delicious apples but also add structure and seasonal interest to your garden with their white spring blossoms.
Preferred soil type: Well-drained, fertile, sandy or loamy, with a high organic matter content
Preferred conditions: Full sun, warm, sheltered spot
Cherry Trees
Cherry trees are known for their stunning spring blossoms, which can be white, green, pink or yellow, and their sweet, juicy fruit. Cherry trees typically grow between 12 and 30 feet tall, depending on the variety. Careful pruning is essential to maintain their shape and health and to encourage better fruit production.
'Bing' cherries are a popular variety for their large, sweet fruits perfect for fresh eating, while 'Montmorency' cherries are favoured for baking and preserving due to their tart flavour. The blossoms of cherry trees also make a beautiful addition to any garden, creating a picturesque landscape during blossom time in spring.
Preferred soil type: Deep, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic loamy soil
Preferred conditions: Depending on the variety, either full sun or some partial shade
Plum Trees
Plum trees are hardy and can produce abundant fruit, making them a reliable choice for many gardens. They generally grow to a height of 10 to 20 feet.
Varieties like 'Santa Rosa' are known for their sweet, juicy fruit that is excellent for eating fresh or making preserves, while 'Damson' plums are perfect for jams and cooking. Plum trees also have attractive spring blossoms - often white - and can serve as a lovely focal point in a garden. They are often some of the first fruit trees to blossom come spring.
Preferred soil type: Fertile, well-drained, loamy soil that's moist but not waterlogged
Preferred conditions: Full sun, warm, sheltered area
Pear Trees
Pear trees are elegant trees that add a touch of sophistication to any garden. They can reach heights of 15 to 30 feet and require regular care to prevent disease.
Popular varieties include 'Bartlett,' which is known for its smooth, juicy flesh and versatility in both eating fresh and canning, and 'Anjou,' which is valued for its sweet, dense fruit that stores well. The distinctive shape and foliage of pear trees can enhance the visual appeal of your garden year-round. In early spring, you can expect a host of white blossoms with specks of yellow and red.
Preferred soil type: Fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic, loamy soil that retains moisture
Preferred conditions: Sunny, sheltered locations
Peach Trees
Peach trees are another excellent addition to a garden, offering both beautiful blossoms and delicious fruit. They typically grow between 15 and 25 feet tall.
Varieties like 'Elberta' produce large, juicy peaches perfect for fresh eating, baking, and canning, while 'Red Haven' is known for its sweet, flavorful fruit and early ripening. Peach trees also provide stunning white, red or pink blossoms in the spring, adding a burst of colour to your garden.
Fig Trees
Fig trees are unique and highly productive, often growing to about 10 to 30 feet in height. Varieties such as 'Black Mission' are prized for their sweet, dark fruit, which is perfect for fresh eating and drying, while 'Brown Turkey' figs are known for their mild flavour and prolific yield. The broad, lush leaves of fig trees can also provide a tropical feel to your garden design.
Preferred soil type: Well-drained, fertile, organically rich soil that's consistently moist
Preferred conditions: Warm, sheltered, sunny site, preferably against a south-facing wall
Where to Place Fruit Trees in Your Garden
It's crucial to position your fruit trees correctly. Select spots that receive ample sunlight and are sheltered from strong winds. Avoid planting in frost pockets - areas where cold air settles and increases the risk of frost damage. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, learn how to plant a tree.
Garden Design Ideas Using Fruit Trees
Now you know why and where to include fruit trees in your garden, here are a handful of creative ideas to inspire you.
Espalier Trees as Living Fences
Espalier is a horticultural technique that involves training trees to grow flat against a wall, fence, or trellis. This method is particularly suitable for smaller gardens or urban spaces where space is limited. By using espaliered fruit trees like apples or pears, you can create beautiful living fences that delineate garden areas while also producing fruit. These trees can be shaped into various designs, from simple horizontal patterns to more intricate shapes, adding an intentional artistic element to your garden.
Plant an Orchard Meadow
Transform part of your garden into a mini orchard meadow, blending fruit trees with wildflowers and grasses. Plant fruit trees such as cherries, plums, and peaches amidst a bed of native wildflowers to create a picturesque, naturalistic landscape. The wildflowers attract pollinators, which can enhance fruit production, while the combination of flowering trees and colourful blooms provides a stunning visual display throughout the growing season.
Create a Fruit Tree Avenue
Plant an avenue of fruit trees along pathways or driveways to create a grand, inviting entrance to your garden. Use ornamental and productive varieties, such as crabapples or ornamental plums. As these trees grow, they form a canopy that provides shade and a sense of enclosure, making the garden feel more intimate. The blossoms in spring and the fruit in summer and autumn add seasonal interest and charm.
Incorporate Fruit Trees into Garden Structures
Train grape vines or climbing fruit varieties like kiwi along structures like pergolas, arches or arbours to create a lush, green canopy that provides shade and a focal point in the garden. The combination of architectural elements with the organic forms of the fruit trees creates a stunning contrast and a beautiful setting in which to enjoy relaxing and outdoor dining.
Edible Privacy Screens
Use fruit trees to create natural privacy screens or windbreaks around your garden. Densely planted rows of fruit trees such as apples, plums, or figs can form an effective barrier that provides privacy from neighbours or shields the garden from strong winds. These screens offer the added benefit of producing fresh fruit. Select dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties to maintain a manageable size and ensure easy harvesting.
A Fruitful Garden Awaits
Integrating fruit trees into your garden is a good idea not only for their visual appeal but also for the delicious harvest they provide. Ready to transform your garden into a fruitful paradise? Consult DK Garden Design today for help with designing your dream garden.
About the Author:
Sean Galton founded Forbes Tree Care in 2010. Since then, he’s led a skilled team of tree surgeons to serve the North London area with sustainable tree management practices that prioritise saving and maintaining healthy trees. He’s passionate about helping trees thrive, reducing carbon emissions and finding new and interesting ways to recycle tree products.
