There are hundreds or thousands of fruit tree varieties to choose from, far more than can be accommodated in one orchard, so a choice is required, informed by some set of preferences.

By way of illustration, preferences for apple varieties might include:

 Recognition: R.H.S. Awards: Award of Garden Merit, Award of Merit, First Class Certificate

 Popularity: Widely grown in gardens or for market

 Climatic preferences:

          Suitability for wetter climates (eg. scab resistance in apple)

          Frost resistance of blossom and frost avoidance (late flowering)

          Hardiness

          Good summer (ie. ample sun) required; long or short growing season required

 Cropping: From heavy and reliable to light and erratic; some are biennial bearers

 Pollination: Some varieties are triploid (therefore poor pollinators), some are self-fertile

 Time of origin: Originating from before 1500 to 1950 and later

 Place of origin: Country of origin; for England, region of origin and county of origin

 Other preferences

          Varieties recommended for organic culture or propagated organically

          Appearance or size of fruit, whether decorative

          Fruit suitable for exhibition (generally large and brightly coloured)

          Ornamental blossom

          Resistance to salt air

          Roots easily from cuttings

 Eating quality

 Eating quality includes flavour, firmness, juiciness and skin traits, and varies within a variety (with site, cultural practice, ripeness, time in store, from year to year etc.) as well as between varieties. It is difficult to describe and is dependent on personal preference.

Your choice

Several hundred varieties can be bought by mail order from larger suppliers. Specific rare varieties can be acquired through the propagation service of www.orangepippin.com.  

The choice should be influenced by your objects of management, site and other aspects of orchard design. Where varieties with a range of harvest times, seasons of use, eating qualities etc. are desired, there is no simple formula. Many sources of information can assist, including suppliers' websites and the Orange Pippin website mentioned above, but the choice is still difficult. A search facility identifying apple varieties (in the first instance) according to the preferences above, in preparation by Rootle, will help matters.