In article , Paul
writes
Hi

I am starting a garden in a new build house, the main part of the
garden measures approx 11M deep X 17M long. This garden is in a windy
seaside location, I have currently laid the whole garden to lawn with
the intention of "carving it up" with some sort of design next spring.

Since the garden is flat and bounded by brick walls and fences I would
like to use plants to soften the these hard edges and give the garden
some height. As a start I would like to plant some standard trees this
autumn, (my wife likes apples).

Any suggestions as to what types of apple tree would be suitable for
my garden, what size should I buy and when should I plant my tree(s).

Buy bare rooted trees now and plant in the next few weeks. Get a
catalogue from a specialist fruit supplier rather than relying on your
garden centre. I use Scotts of Merriott, who have several hundred
varieties of apple each with a description of taste and site
preferences.

First thing with apples is that they don't pollinate themselves, so you
need to make sure there are at least two flowering at each period. The
catalogue listing/plant label with give you the flowering period.

The earliest apples are ready for picking in August but tend to last for
only a few weeks. Other varieties are ready later, right through to
March, and the later ones tend to have a longer period when they're good
for eating.

You need to think about what proportion of cookers and eaters you want,
and what flavours you like - some gardens and agricultural places hold
'apple days' where you can taste different varieties. Growing your own
is a great opportunity for growing varieties that you can't get in the
shops with tastes ranging from crisp and juicy through to highly spiced.

I can't advice on varieties, as I'm inland, cold and wet, so quite
different from you. Avoid Cox - it's difficult to grow well in a garden.

Someone else will tell you about rootstocks - all apples are grafted on
to a rootstock, and the type of rootstock determines how big the tree
grows.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"