Apple pollination is usually not a concern in the UK, because there are so many orchard and crab apple trees around
However, self-fertile apple trees are still the most reliable choice for most growers, especially if you only have space for one tree in your garden.
Self-pollinating apple trees are the most popular varieties we sell:
- No need for multiple trees
- Ideal for small spaces, containers, or wire trained forms like espaliers
- Consistent fruit production
- No need to refer to our handy pollination checker tool that we spent so much time making for you
What are the Best Self-Fertile Apple Trees?
The best self-fertile apple trees for the UK are Christmas Pearmain, Reverend W Wilks, Saturn, Scrumptious, Spartan, and Sunset.
Not all self-fertile apple trees are fully self-fertile, some are “partially self-fertile”, which in our opinion is as good (or as bad) as not being self fertile.
Partially self-fertile trees will produce fruit without a pollination partner, but with lower yields of inferior quality fruit.
Reliably Self-Fertile Apple Tree List
| Name | Use | Harvest | Pollination Group | Fertility Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Pearmain | Eater | Early Oct | B | Reliably Self Fertile |
| Reverend W Wilks | Cooker | Late Aug – Early Sept | B | Reliably Self Fertile |
| Saturn | Eater | Late Sept | C | Reliably Self Fertile |
| Scrumptious | Eater | Sept – Oct | C | Reliably Self Fertile |
| Spartan | Eater | Early Oct | C | Reliably Self Fertile |
| Sunset | Eater | Late Sept | C | Reliably Self Fertile Incompatible with: Coxs Orange Pippin & Jupiter |
Crab Apple Trees As Orchard Apple Pollinators
Crab Apples are great orchard apple pollinators as long as they are native Malus sylvestris, or cultivars of it.
They are very popular ornamental trees, and it’s rare for a street of houses with gardens not to have at least one somewhere.
The best crab apples for pollination are Malus ‘John Downie’ and ‘Golden Hornet’, which also have useful fruit for cooking.
Other good ones are ‘Evereste’, ‘Red Sentinel’, ‘Royalty’, ‘Butterball’, ‘Gorgeous’, and ‘Rudolph’.
How Does Pollination Work?
Apple pollen needs help to get from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female bit (pistil).
Some trees are wind pollinated (anemophilous, “wind lover”) but not apple trees, which need insects to pollinate them: they are entomophilous, which means “insect lover”.
The majority of insect pollination is done by bees, mainly honey bees, but wild bees are important too.
In rural areas with fields of Oil Seed Rape, honey bees may mostly abandon orchards in favour of Rape, with bumblebees and wild solitary bees taking up the slack, with help from some other insects.
Apple breeders use bags to keep insects off the flowers, and hand-pollinate to ensure they are crossing their chosen varieties.
Can a Pear Tree Pollinate an Apple Tree?
No, a pear tree can’t pollinate an apple tree.
Although they are closely related plants in the Rose family, Rosaceae (which includes most fruit trees grown in the UK), they are different species: orchard apples are Malus domestica, and pears are Pyrus communis.
Skilled fruit tree grafters can get an apple and a pear to grow “on the same tree” using an intermediary rootstock that is compatible with both, but that’s for another article.