Why plant an apple tree for wildlife this autumn

There are so many reasons to grow your own apples – getting to choose your favourite varieties, experiencing flavours you'd never find in the supermarket, keeping heritage cultivars alive, and the satisfaction of picking your own straight from the tree, to name a few.

But there's another fantastic reason to plant an apple tree this autumn. Apples are the RHS Wildlife Wonder Plant of the Month for September, meaning our wildlife experts have highlighted it as a top plant we can all grow to support biodiversity

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.

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What's more, you absolutely don't need a lot of space to grow an apple tree – there are plenty of creative and versatile ways to fit one into even the tiniest of spaces.

What makes apples great for wildlife?

Though apples are fruiting now, their wildlife story began months ago. In spring, the blossom offered nectar

Sweet liquid mainly produced by flowers to attract pollinators. Honeybees make honey from nectar.

and pollen to honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees and flies. Their pollinating visits helped the flowers develop into the apples we harvest in September and October.

Though it can be tempting to pick every last one, try to leave a few fruits on the tree for wildlife. Leave windfalls on the ground for a while too, to provide an autumn feast for ground-feeding birds such as blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares and robins, and mammals such as voles. Even late season butterflies such as red admirals will benefit from the sugary juices. Just remove any old fruit that have shrivelled up at the end of the year. 

So one apple tree gives us two very different moments: a spring café for insects, followed by an autumn restaurant for people and wildlife. 

How to choose an apple tree

With hundreds of apple cultivars available, it can be hard to know which to choose – but this is part of the fun! One of the best ways to choose your favourite flavours is to go along to an apple tasting day in autumn, for instance at our Flavours of Autumn events at the RHS Gardens or at another garden near you. 

This can tell you which cultivars you like most. Then, you need to make sure that cultivar

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

(forming the top, fruit-bearing part of the tree) been grafted onto a rootstock that's suitable for the space you have. The rootstock controls how vigorously the tree will grow and its ultimate size.

For a pot, look for an apple that's been grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock, such as M9, which keeps the tree small. You can find more information on choosing a rootstock here.

Finally, check whether the cultivar you're choosing is self-fertile or whether it needs a compatible pollination partner – a different cultivar that flowers at the same time – nearby. 

September is a great time to choose and order an apple tree, ready for planting later in autumn or winter when it's dormant, provided the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged

Describes soil or potting compost that is saturated with water. The water displaces air from the spaces between soil particles and plant roots can literally drown, unless they are adapted to growing in waterlogged conditions. Waterlogging is common on poorly drained soil or when heavy soil is compacted.

. Bare-root

These have been lifted from the ground while dormant, with little or no soil around their roots. Various plants may be available bare root, including fruit trees, hedging plants and some perennials. They are generally cheaper than plants in containers, but are only available in winter/early spring, while dormant

trees will establish best and are the most environmentally friendly option.

Where and how to grow apples

You don't need an orchard to grow apples! They can be trained as cordons, espaliers or compact trees, so even a short sunny wall or fence, a small garden or a large container can be productive. For instance, you can easily train five cordon

A plant that is restricted by pruning to usually one main stem, either upright or at a 45 degree angle, with short fruiting side-shoots (spurs). Apples, pears, gooseberries, tomatoes, redcurrants and whitecurrants are often grown as cordons, especially where space is limited. Sweet peas can be grown as cordons to produce large flowers for exhibition.

trees on a two-metre stretch of fence. In return, you can get months of delicious fruit, as apples store very well – in fact, by choosing cultivars carefully, it's possible to get 11 months of homegrown apples with just five trees.

If you do have more space, an area of long grass around a couple or a handful of apple trees, with a couple of winding paths mown through, makes a beautiful and wildlife-boosting feature in any garden design.

Plant your apple tree in a sunny position and soil that drains freely without drying out. After planting, water thoroughly and then mulch

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

with garden compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

, keeping it clear of the trunk. Your new tree will need watering during dry spells while it establishes, particularly during its first three summers. 

If planting in a pot, plant in peat-free compost with a slow-release organic feed, and water whenever the compost at finger's depth feels dry.

• More on how to grow apples

Other top wildlife plants for September

Pears work in much the same way as apples, with spring blossom for insects and fruit for us and other wildlife. 

Perfect paired with apples, blackberry is another plant with a double life. Its flowers are visited by an extraordinary range of insects, including bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, wasps and beetles. In late summer and early autumn, the berries provide a larder for birds and small mammals. If a wild bramble is too vigorous for your space, choose a compact, thornless cultivar like 'Loch Ness' and train it along wires.

Then add an open-flowered, hip-bearing rose such as Rosa moyesii 'Geranium' – perhaps trained against a wall or rambling through a hedge or tree. Its saucer-shaped crimson flowers are easy for insects to reach, and mature into large, decorative hips. Hold off on deadheading

Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from plants to encourage more blooms and prevent seed production. This helps to redirect the plant's energy into producing more flowers rather than producing seeds.

to allow a beautiful, wildlife-friendly display of hips to develop.

For something unexpected, try strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo. This handsome evergreen's small autumn flowers provide late nectar for visiting insects. These may be followed by round, rough fruits in shades of red, orange and yellow. Though these are edible when fully ripe, they're not that tasty, but make a striking display and appeal to birds and small mammals.

The real wonder is not any one harvest. It's the chain of events behind it – flowers, insect visits, fruit. Look at the edible plants you already have, and you might find they are feeding far more than your household.

That is what the RHS Bringing Nature Home campaign is all about – recognising garden plants as the foundation for wildlife, and making the space we have work harder for nature and for us.