Compacta® apricot trees

Compacta apricot trees for sale

Compacta is a naturally-dwarf apricot, probably the best choice if you want to grow an apricot in a small space.

This is the apricot variety featured on BBC Gardeners' World in October 2017. However we do not recommend growing this tree in a container, even though this was suggested in the programme.

The fruits are orange, and the stone comes away cleanly from the flesh (freestone).

It is slow-growing and should not get taller than about 2m.

The blossom is also reasonably frost-resistant.

How to grow

Like all apricots, Compacta should be planted in full sun, and sheltered from wind and rain. The ideal is to plant the tree directly in the ground about 1m-2m or so in front of a south-facing wall, but any sheltered situation exposed to the south should be suitable.

It also helps if you can keep the rain off the tree over the autumn and winter, e.g. using a horticultural fleece.

We strongly recommend that you plant this tree directly in the ground, and when planting the tree do not use compost in the planting hole.

Compacta is not really suitable for growing in a container. If you wish to grow it in a container make sure you use a very large one, at least 200L-500L, and the compost / soil mix should have plenty of grit to ensure free drainage.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Apricots usually become quite large vigorous trees, but as the name suggests, Compacta was developed from the start to be a small tree, suitable for growing in small gardens. It is a cross between an American variety called Moongold and an un-named research variety developed by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

Compacta characteristics