Welcome to the Garden Ninja Gardening Forum! If you have a gardening question that you can't find answers to then ask below to seek help from the Garden Ninja army! Please make your garden questions as specific and detailed as possible so the community can provide comprehensive answers in the online forum below.

Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1's Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it's a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you!

Posting Rules: This space is open for all garden-related questions. Please be polite, courteous and respectful. If you wouldn't say it to your mum's face, then don't post it here. Please don't promote, sell, link spam or advertise here. Please don't ask for 'cheeky' full Garden redesigns here. They will be deleted.

If you need a garden design service, please use this page to book a design consultation. I will block anyone who breaks these rules or is discourteous to the Garden Ninja Community.

Join the forum below with your gardening questions!

Ask a Gardening QuestionBeginner Gardening Questions & Guides: First time gardener questionsB&M fruit trees: are they any goo …

Please or Register to create posts and topics.

B&M fruit trees: are they any good and how to plant them?

#1 · 21st February 2023, 5:56 pm

Hi. Garden newbie here who ripped out their concrete space and made it nature friendly with turf, plants and a wildflower space.

I was in B&M today and they had fruit trees for £6.99: apple, plum, cherry and I think pair.

I really wanted the cherry tree to add to my wildlife friendly garden for birds more than anything but my sister said you might need more than one for them to cross pollinate. Now I don’t know what to do. Please help!

Thanks, Lee

#2 · 22nd February 2023, 10:03 pm

Hi @leesapollo

Great question and thanks for getting in touch.

You'd be amazed at just how good value bare root fruit trees are from B&M and other discount shops in late winter.

Bareroot fruit trees are a really cost effective way of planting trees in your garden. I've bought them myself and highly recommend them.

In terms of pollination windows, your friend is right that some fruit trees need a compatible pollination partner tree. Most of the time, this is Apples and Pears, not as much with Cherries.

I wouldn't let that put you off as the chances of another neighbour somewhere in your postcode having a suitable compatible tree are higher the more trees we plant. Also honeybees one of our best pollinators can fly up to 3 miles in a radius foraging, so you don't need a tree next door or even on your street for yours to get pollinated.

If I were you I'd snap up a couple of trees and help both mother nature and also yourself with the potential fruit harvests!

Fruit trees are super easy to grow in small gardens and only require some light tough pruning, read my guide or watch my video below to explain.

Do let us know how you get on!

Lee

#3 · 24th August 2023, 11:06 am

Apples excel in gardens with beauty, low maintenance, and high productivity. The best time to plant apple trees is during the dormant season, which is typically in late fall or early spring.