On 19/05/20 14:05, David wrote:
We grabbed the last two fruit trees from our local Lidl (just because).

One was an Ontario plum and the other was a Jonagold apple.

The plum, although a bit knocked about, seems to be growing fine. No
blossom but I suspect we have had it for this year.

The Jonagold doesn't have any blossom or leaves at the moment.
I picked it up because there seem to be a good number of "woolly" buds
which normally signify buds ready to burst.
Looking at it each day I can convince myself that the buds are growing/
swelling a bit.
However the apple trees around here have already put out loads of blossom
and leaves, which makes this patio fruit tree look very late.

Do some apple trees bloom and put out leaves after mid-May?

Are bulk grown container plants often later than established trees?

Lastly, how long should I wait before I decide it isn't going to do
anything, and take it back to Lidl?

Get a sharp knife and scrape a small piece of bark off about 15 cm above
the soil (or above the graft point if you can see it), If you can see
green underneath the bark, the tree is alive. If, however, it is cream
or brownish, it is almost certainly dead.

You can do this with almost all woody shrubs and trees for a quick check
(but not in a garden centre before you've bought it!).

--

Jeff