Big apple trees may give you the pip but smaller trees can be a delight.

Modern apple trees are grafted on to a root stock that will govern the vigour and eventual size of the tree. These are the vital statistics of some common rootstocks.

Name	Nature	Height ft.	Spread ft.
M 27	Very Dwarf	4-6	5
M 9	Dwarfing	6-8	9
M 26	Semi-dwarf	8-10	12
M 106	Semi-vigorous	10-13	12
M 111	Vigorous	13-15	15

The larger the tree the more fruit it should bear up to 300 pounds on a mature orchard tree on M111. The smaller trees bear fruit after 3 years, larger trees need 3-4 years

• Apples are potentially long lived trees and the small trees are often pruned into pyramids and central leaders. For an espalier tree get a root stock that is M26 or M106.
• Semi dwarf and semi-vigorous can be grown in containers but need care with water and feeding
• Smaller trees need staking all their life

There are many professional fruit tree firms like Ashridge, Ken Muir and Blackmoor but Amazon also offer a range using their supplier base.