I’ve always wanted to grow a medlar and a quince, but sadly I’ve never had the room. Medlars (Mespilus germanica) produce russet, rough-skinned fruit rather like large rose hips in form and these can be bletted, allowed to partially rot, before being eaten in the winter months.

In Medieval times the medlar was known as the dog’s bottom tree (or the monkey’s bottom) and when you look at the fruit you can soon see why. Eating the fruit is an acquired taste, but I wanted to grow a medlar for its white spring blossom and handsome spreading profile, not its bizarre fruit.

Quinces are even more ornamental, with large cool-pink flowers nestled above pale-green downy foliage. The flowers are wonderful in spring, like apple blossom on steroids, and the fruit can be jellied, or cooked in meat dishes. Both have long histories.

The Medlar has been grown in Britain since Roman times, although it’s indigenous to southwest Asia and southeastern Europe, especially the Black Sea coasts of modern Turkey.

The quince, Cydonia oblonga, comes from a wide region of South-west Asia, Turkey and Iran and it may predate the apple. A recent development by Will Sibley, one of the world’s leading authorities on tree fruit, is about to make my dream come true. Will has bred a range of dwarf fruit trees.

Sibley’s Patio Quince is grafted on to a dwarfing rootstock to produce a tree that could yield up to 50 sweet, yellow fruits, the size of a tennis ball, within three years. The only maintenance needed is to pinch out its growing tips twice a year to keep it in shape.

Sibley’s Patio Medlar is a smaller than most medlars and has been grafted on to Quince Adams rootstock to restrict its size further. Will says that after four seasons his medlar will yield about 30 full-size fruits per tree. After flowering and when growth starts, the growing tips should again be pinched out when about five inches long to maintain a bushy habit.

Whether grown in a pot or in the garden, Sibley’s Patio Medlar is thirsty and requires plenty of moisture. If pot-grown, a John Innes soil-based compost is a good medium, especially if extra grit is added at planting time. The soil is best renewed and the roots pruned every three years. It does best in full sun or partial shade.

There is also a patio apricot called ‘Dawnglow’. This genetically dwarf variety, which Will Sibley discovered in France, is ideal for pot culture when grown in John Innes soil-based compost with extra grit added. Given a warm, sunny spot, it will produce a delicious crop of succulent, fragrant apricots in late August. Will reports he has seen up to 80 full-size fruits on a mature Dawnglow. It’s easy to grow and care for, only requiring regular pinching out of the growing tips and the addition of a slow-release fertilser. Both Dawnglow and Will’s medlar are also decorative features in any garden. These dwarf trees are all available from D.T Brown (0845 3710532/www.dtbrown seeds.co.uk )