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What are bare-root fruit trees?
Bare-root trees are sold during their dormant winter period with the roots exposed (no soil or pot). They're dug from the ground after the leaves drop, packed with the roots wrapped in damp material, and shipped.
Bare-root trees have several advantages over potted trees:
- Lower cost — typically 30-50% cheaper than equivalent potted trees
- Better selection — heritage and heirloom varieties are almost only available bare-root
- Easier to establish — roots spread naturally without circling
- Easier to ship — lighter weight means lower freight costs
The trade-off: you need to plant them promptly. Bare-root trees don't sit in a pot waiting for you. Order when you're ready to plant.
When is the 2026 season?
Australian bare-root season follows the southern hemisphere winter. Trees go dormant when temperatures drop in late autumn and nurseries begin digging and shipping from June onwards.
Which nurseries sell bare-root trees?
Two specialist nurseries dominate the Australian bare-root market for heritage and heirloom varieties. Both are tracked daily on treestock.com.au.
Heritage Fruit Trees
Australia's largest heritage and heirloom fruit tree nursery. Specialises in rare, named apple, pear, plum, and peach varieties with documented histories. Many varieties are unavailable anywhere else in Australia.
Heritage Fruit Trees is a Victorian nursery that ships to WA only during the dormant/winter season (approximately May-September). Western Australian buyers: this is your main annual window for heritage varieties.
Notable varieties tracked: 90+ apple varieties (Akane, Anna, Beauty of Bath, Cox's Orange Pippin, Granny Smith), 46 pears, 36 plums, 28 peaches, plus apricots, quinces, crabapples, and more.
Yalca Fruit Trees
A heritage and dwarf specialist based in Victoria. Yalca focuses on heritage varieties and dwarf rootstocks suitable for small gardens, with their complete stock available only during the bare-root season (late June to September 15).
Yalca currently ships to eastern and southern states only (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, ACT). WA and NT buyers should use Heritage Fruit Trees.
Notable varieties tracked: 125 varieties in stock including heritage apples (Cox's Orange Pippin stepover, Jonagold), pears (Beurre Bosc), stone fruit (Bing cherry, Briggs Red May peach, Bulida apricot), figs, almonds, and raspberries.
What varieties are available?
Bare-root season is the main opportunity to find heritage and named cultivars of temperate fruit species. These pages track current stock across both nurseries:
Tips for buying bare-root trees online in Australia
Check your state's biosecurity rules
WA, NT, and Tasmania have strict quarantine rules for plant material. WA permits bare-root trees from accredited nurseries during the dormant season, but requires approved packaging and health certificates. Heritage Fruit Trees and Yalca Fruit Trees are accredited for interstate shipping. Always check the current DPIRD rules before ordering if you're in WA.
Order early for rare varieties
Heritage varieties like Cox's Orange Pippin (apple), Williams Bon Chretien (pear), and Bing (cherry) sell out quickly once the season opens. Check stock on treestock.com.au and order in early June if you have a specific variety in mind.
Understand rootstocks and sizing
Heritage Fruit Trees offer three sizes: standard (full-size), medium (semi-dwarf), and dwarf. Dwarf trees are grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks and stay under 3m. For small gardens and espalier training, dwarf varieties are ideal.
Plant within 1-2 weeks of delivery
Bare-root trees should be planted promptly. If you can't plant immediately, "heel in" the roots by temporarily burying them in damp soil or compost in a shaded spot. Don't let the roots dry out.
Prepare your soil before ordering
Have the planting site ready before the tree arrives. Bare-root trees establish best when planted into well-prepared, well-draining soil. Add compost and ensure good drainage before the bare-root season starts.
Track bare-root stock with treestock.com.au
treestock.com.au scrapes Heritage Fruit Trees and Yalca Fruit Trees daily. When the 2026 season opens in June, stock changes (new varieties added, items selling out) will be detected and sent to subscribers in the daily email digest.
Subscribe below to get an alert when the season opens and specific varieties come into stock. You can also set a per-species alert on any species page to be notified when a specific fruit comes back in stock.
Get alerted when the 2026 season opens
Daily stock alerts from Heritage Fruit Trees, Yalca, and 13 other Australian nurseries. Know the moment a variety comes back in stock.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Heritage Fruit Trees ships to WA during the dormant season (approximately May-September). You need to order during this window as WA biosecurity rules restrict live plant material outside the dormant season. Yalca Fruit Trees does not currently ship to WA.
Heritage Fruit Trees typically begins shipping in May or early June. Yalca Fruit Trees opens late June and closes September 15. Subscribe to the treestock.com.au daily digest for an alert when both nurseries update their stock for the new season.
Yes, generally 30-50% cheaper. A heritage apple in a 15L pot might cost $60-90 from a garden centre; the same variety bare-root from a specialist nursery typically costs $30-50. The trade-off is timing: you can only buy during the dormant season.
Heritage Fruit Trees offers over 90 named apple varieties including heirloom English varieties (Cox's Orange Pippin, Beauty of Bath, Blenheim Orange), modern varieties (Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith), and rare varieties (Anna, Dorsett Golden for warm climates). See the full list on the apple species page.
Most heritage apples need winter chill hours to fruit (below 7°C). In QLD and coastal WA, low-chill varieties like Anna, Dorsett Golden, and Tropic Sweet are better choices. Heritage Fruit Trees labels their varieties with size and recommends climate suitability. The apple compare page lists all available varieties across nurseries.
We currently track 15 nurseries including the two main bare-root specialists: Heritage Fruit Trees and Yalca Fruit Trees. If you know of another Australian nursery we should add, visit the homepage and send us a message.