Hello everybody -

Last autumn I planted a number of fruit trees in my small garden, including two apples. I planted a dessert apple, group D, and a cooking apple group E. My understanding is that, for pollination, trees in the same or adjacent groups must be planted near each other so they are both in blossom at the same time.

Following advice, I planted the desert apple in the sunniest spot in the garden. The cooking apple is in a less sunny spot, though it still gets a good amount of sun. The concern I have is that the dessert apple is now in full blossom, whereas the cooking apple is only just showing its first leaves. I am concerned that the blossoms will not overlap, and so they will not pollinate.

I wonder if the sunnier spot is making the desert apple blossom earlier than average, and the shadier spot making the cooking apple blossom later than average? Perhaps I should have chosen a group D for the shadier spot and a group E for the sunnier spot?

Can anybody advise on this? In my front garden, separated by the house, I have a crab apple which is still in blossom. It needs pruning anyway, so perhaps I could cut a flowering branch and put it in the back garden next to the desert apple?

Any advice? I'm completely new to this so thank you in advance.

Jake