[lazza]

the outside fence of our garden faces west, and so gets a lot of sun. Although it is outside facing, there is a couple of feet of our land between the fence and a path that leads through to another part of the estate.

Having cut back the original shrubs down to the ground (when we had some work done on the house) I am now thinking of entirely digging out the roots of the bushes and putting some fruit trees in their place.

Anyone any suggestions? Despite being so far north, the spot gets a good amount of sunshine, and the fence gets very warm in summer acting as a good heat-sink. I was thinking of apples, but a neighbour said pears might be better, as they prefer a sunny spot whereas apples grow quite happily in the shade. Is this right? I would go for either, to be honest, or maybe even both...  ...or could it even be possible to go for something more adventurous... this far north, how well could I expect do plums do... or cherries... or...umm.... apricots...?!

[lazza]

OK.... this was done in the wrong order, but just searched the site for similar earlier posts, and found a suggestion for quince.... any thoughts?

[stompy]

You would be fine growing plum Victoria, they crop very heavilly too.
Also cherrys would do ok too.

[shokkyy]

I've got a dessert cherry trained on a west facing wall. It's still young, only had a handful of fruit this year, but it's certainly looking very healthy and growing well. And there might not have been many of them, but the cherries were delicious I think cherries are fairly low maintenance as well, all you really need to worry about is birds taking the fruit.

[stompy]

Cherrys were grown on the north facing walls in the old victorian walled gardens as they were more tollerant of the cold and didn't need so much sun.

[whiskywill]

I think cherries are fairly low maintenance as well, all you really need to worry about is birds taking the fruit.

And blackfly.

[sunshineband]

Cherrys were grown on the north facing walls in the old victorian walled gardens as they were more tollerant of the cold and didn't need so much sun.

I think that was the morello cherries only 

[Yorkie]

I think cherries are fairly low maintenance as well, all you really need to worry about is birds taking the fruit.

And blackfly.

And passers-by 

[lazza]

I think cherries are fairly low maintenance as well, all you really need to worry about is birds taking the fruit.

And blackfly.

And passers-by 

hehe! Well, I'm willing to help with the 5-a-day for others on the estate as long as some get left from me!

[Nobbie]

I'd definitely get a morrello cherry, I planted one about three years ago and had enough for a lovely pudding this week - really good flavour

[shokkyy]

I'd definitely get a morrello cherry, I planted one about three years ago and had enough for a lovely pudding this week - really good flavour

Yes, but how do you keep the birds off them? I've got a freestanding morello cherry, only a baby but had quite a lot of fruit this year, but the birds had them before they were anywhere near ripe.

[mumofstig]

West facing walls/fences are very warm and sunny in the summer, and you really could grow any fruit you want on it, save the morello cherries for north facing walls  

[lazza]

West facing walls/fences are very warm and sunny in the summer, and you really could grow any fruit you want on it, save the morello cherries for north facing walls  

the other side of the fence then?

[mumofstig]

  ............of course

[Nobbie]

I'd definitely get a morrello cherry, I planted one about three years ago and had enough for a lovely pudding this week - really good flavour

Yes, but how do you keep the birds off them? I've got a freestanding morello cherry, only a baby but had quite a lot of fruit this year, but the birds had them before they were anywhere near ripe.

Mine's fan trained, so netting is fairly straightforward.