Every garden has room for a fruit tree. There’s no excuse not to have one, especially since you can often buy dwarf varieties that will grow in a pot. Rather than going for favourites such as apples, pears and plums, however, why not practise a bit of horticultural one-upmanship and try something more exotic that you can’t find in the shops, or that usually has to be imported?

The kitchen gardens of wealthy Victorians and Edwardians had glasshouses heated by elaborate systems of pipes – some even had heating systems running through a cavity between two layers of outside walls – to prevent delicate blossoms such as peaches and nectarines from being caught by frost.

The days of cheap fuel are long gone, and most of us don’t have the luxury of a large walled garden or heated glasshouses, but we can use climate change to our advantage. This has been the warmest decade for 1,300 years and, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, by the middle of the century we should have the weather central France has now. As a result, the range of fruits we can grow outside is expanding. Figs ripening into juicy sweetness, outdoor peach blossom making it past the frosts – these might soon be treats for all of us, not just those in sheltered spots and the south.

Then there is the question of food miles. Stacking the supermarket shelves with fruit from halfway across the world, chosen as much for its longevity as its taste, seems almost counterproductive. Surely it makes sense to harvest as much as you can from your own garden?

As well as bowls of nectarines and figs, think outside the fruit box, to lovely trees such as medlars, mulberries and quinces. Found in many historic gardens, they are rarer in modern ones. Their unusual fruits are a bonus.

With winter fast approaching, now is the time to order bare-root trees, while they are dormant. They are cheaper to transport than container-grown specimens, though the latter can be planted at any season. Here are some suggestions. Fig: An old wives’ tale says that you should plant a fig in a Gladstone bag: as it is such a vigorous grower, you must restrict its roots in order to get it to fruit well. This seems a waste of a Gladstone bag, so confine the roots in a pit 2ft deep and 3ft wide – though if you live in a hot, dry area, don’t bother. Figs need a long warm season to ripen, so should benefit if our climate becomes more Mediterranean; grow them against a sunny wall in cooler areas. This will also restrict the root run. ‘Brown Turkey’ is the most widely grown variety.

Peach and nectarine: Both can be grown here, though peaches crop better than sun-hungry nectarines. Dwarf varieties such as ‘Terrace Amber’ (peach) and ‘Terrace Ruby’ (nectarine) can be grown in pots to be brought into a warm glasshouse over winter. Both blossom early in spring and, as the flowers are not frost-hardy, need a warm, south-facing wall to prevent them being affected. The wall will also protect from winter rain, which can spread peach leaf curl. Nearly all are self-fertile, but will benefit from hand pollination with a soft paintbrush. Try ‘Peregrine’ and ‘Rochester’ (peaches), or ‘Lord Napier’ (nectarine). Olive: With their lovely, light, silvery evergreen foliage, olive trees carry an air of the Mediterranean – but only those grown in sheltered conditions will fruit, so consider this a bonusrather than har-bouring dreams of bottling oil to give to friends for Christmas. The safest way to grow them in this country, especially in wet areas, is in pots, so they can be brought indoors in winter, as they don’t like getting damp feet or exposure to prolonged frosts. Young trees are also vulnerable, although it could be worth trying a new variety called ‘Veronique’, sold by DT Brown: it’s said to be hardy to -20C, so could be left out over winter in all parts of the UK. Larger, older trees can survive in the ground where frosts are light, provided they are planted in welldrained soil – but they’ll set you back about £1,000 each. Apricot: These need a long, warm, dry growing season, so are best suited to the south, where there is little danger of late frosts. They blossom in March and April: hand pollination will help them along, as it is early for the bees to be about their business. In their favour, most are self-fertile, so you need only grow one tree. Varieties to look for include ‘Flavorcot’, ‘Moorpark’ and ‘Tomcot’. Quince: People often confuse the culinary quince, Cydonia oblonga, with its cousin, the Japanese ornamental quince, Chaenomeles japonica. Although you can cook the latter, it is the felty, pear-shaped former you want, for its intense flavour and heavenly perfume – I keep a bowl in the kitchen in autumn so I can enjoy this. You can make quinces into jelly or fruit paste (like the Spanish membrillo, eaten with manchego cheese), or use them to jazz up an apple pie. Don’t try to eat the fruit raw, though, as you will break your teeth. Quinces are rock hard until “bletted” by frosts – that is, set on the road to decay. The medium-sized (15ft by 15ft) trees are attractive, with lovely white frost-hardy blossom in spring. Although they are more widely grown on the Continent, where they appreciate the warmth, quinces have been in Britain since at least the 13th century. ‘Vranja’ is self-fertile and reliable. Medlar: A beautiful tree, it has long green leaves that turn a spectacular red in autumn. Native to Persia, it was mentioned in Chaucer’s The Reeve’s Tale and became popular in Victorian times, when its fruits, which look like small russet apples with crowns on top, would be eaten “bletted” (see quince, above) with a spoon, accompanied by port and cheese. Nowadays, our taste for rotten fruit has waned, and it is usually made into jelly – much more palatable. ‘Nottingham’ is the most widely available variety. Mulberry: These have been in British gardens since at least the early 17th century, when James I decided to promote the production of British silk. Unfortunately, the seeds distributed were of Morus nigra, rather than Morus alba, the leaves of which provide a silkworm’s diet, so the project failed. We should, however, thank the Stuart monarch for introducing these beautiful spreading trees with heartshaped leaves – the dark, juicy fruits, which resemble a rich (and staining) raspberry harvested in August or September, are a bonus. Mulberries are easy to grow, as long as you have a mild, sheltered site with fertile, welldrained soil. They can reach more than 20ft by 20ft, but are slow-growing.

Suppliers:Reads Nursery (01508 548395, www.readsnursery.co.uk); Keepers Nursery (01622 726465, www.keepers-nursery.co.uk); Deacon’s Nursery (01983 840750, www.deaconsnurseryfruits. co.uk); Ken Muir (01255 830181, www.kenmuir.co.uk); Blackmoor Nurseries (01420 473576, www.blackmoor.co.uk).

For olive trees, try East of Eden Plants (01752 822782, www.eastofedenplants.co.uk ) or DT Brown (0845 371 0532, www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk ). Further reading: The Kitchen Gardener by Alan Titchmarsh (BBC Books £20); Garden Organic Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (Dorling Kindersley £18.99); The Fruit Expert by DG Hessayon (Expert Books £7.99).

Tips for the crop

Pollination: Some of the trees mentioned are self-fertile. Others need to cross-pollinate with another that blossoms at the same time: this does not always have to be of the same species. Check the label or seek advice before buying to avoid ending up with a tree that never delivers.

Training: Many trees, including apples, apricots and peaches, will benefit from being trained against a warm wall. This is also a way to fit more trees into a tight space. Styles include cordons (a main single stem with short spurs bearing the fruit); espaliers (a main stem with its branches growing horizontally along wires or wooden rails, like outstretched arms); fan-trained (the branches spreading out like a fan or peacock’s tail); and stepovers (short, single-tiered espaliers that can be used to edge flower beds).

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers