This autumn's Apple Days boosted by huge crops, writes VAL BOURNE

I'm weighed down with a glut of apples and pears, kindly provided by neighbours in my village. The plums on their trees are so laden that several branches have snapped under the sheer weight of fruit.

I feel a mounting sense of impatience because my new apple and pear trees - planted bare-root last winter - are still small whips. They will take another five or ten years to bear their first crop.

But it isn't the promise of fruit that made me plant them. I love trees for their form and presence throughout the year and to me a garden without trees is a soulless affair.

We hear plenty about purely ornamental trees, but fruit trees can be just as stunning in their own way. Varieties can be grafted on dwarf rootstock and even a small garden can accommodate a pair.

When selecting apple, pear or plum varieties always use a local supplier like Waterperry, near Wheatley (01844 339254), or Bernwode Plants, near Bicester (01844 237415), because there will be several local varieties that do well in your area.

Apples are very regional. You will also have to check that they are in the same pollination group. This sounds complicated, but a fruit tree usually needs pollen from another before it can produce fruit. Not many are self-fertile and some varieties, including the Bramley Seedling, are virtually sterile. It's vital that your trees flower at the same time so that pollen can pass between them when bees visit.

The pollination groups are split into early, mid- and late-season flowering varieties. As I live in a cold area, I have chosen late varieties of pear and apple in an attempt to avoid late frosts.

Frost is the enemy of fruit and this is why so many orchards are planted on warm, south-facing slopes. This year's late spring meant that blossom flowered late and avoided any damage from frost, giving a bumper crop. Always choose a warm place free of frost for your fruit trees where possible.

When I was choosing my own varieties I tasted them at a local Apple Day and chose Pitmaston Pineapple' and D'Arcy Spice'.

There will be 50 varieties on show at Waterperry Gardens at their Apple Days on October 14 and 15. Waterperry produces splendid apple juice from their own orchards and it is possible to see and buy a whole range of fruit trees grafted on to different root stocks.

Sulgrave Manor, near Banbury, also has its Apple Days on the same weekend. A little further afield, Garden Organic at Ryton, near Coventry, are hosting an Apple Day this Sunday from 10am to 5pm. All are entertaining events for the family and there are many other Apple Days throughout the country.

The Oxford Botanic Garden celebrates autumn with their Foliage, Fungi and Family Fun Festival this weekend from 10am-5pm. Morris dancers, brass bands, and storytelling provide the backdrop for wildlife talks and guided tours round the garden, which is the jewel in Oxford's crown. Hedgerow fruits will be used to tie-dye cloth and there will be a mini market. Adults pay £2.70 and accompanied children are free.