For many people who don't have enough space to grow a free-standing apple tree, this might seem like an impossible dream.

But it needn't be. If you would like your autumn days lit next year by globes of russet, reds and gold, and your spring days blessed with pink and white apple blossom, then look no further than the Irish-bred little Coronet apple trees, which you can buy already planted in pots and which don't grow more than five feet or so high.

Coronets are dwarfed apple varieties, developed in Waterford, which came on the market several years ago and have caused quite a stir both here and abroad. Not only do they never exceed 5ft to 6ft in height, but unlike 'Ballerina' apples which grow on a single stem, they are perfectly formed little trees in their own right, which makes them ideal for anybody with a limited amount of open space. They can be grown in the pot or planted out. Either way, they are very satisfying and make good gifts.

. . . . .AND PLIABLE PEARS We are on the cusp of the great tree-planting season and if you can find room for one, I would urge you to plant a long-lived pear tree ('Doyenne du Comice' is one good variety), which will start giving you blossom the first spring and beautifully shaped fruits within a couple of years.

A marvellous thing about pears is how malleable they are and how easily bent, trained and tied-in their stems are, making them eminently suitable for even very small gardens. On balconies, they could be wound around railings, where in spring their pure white blossom is a joyous sight, guaranteed to light up your life.

GARDEN UPDATE DESIGNING SMALL GARDENS If you're looking for inspiration and advice on designing a small garden, you might like to know about an illustrated lecture dedicated to the subject, to be given by experienced designer and gardener, Sheena Vernon.

Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland (RHSI), it will be held at 8pm next Wednesday, 8 November, at Wesley House, Leeson Park Avenue, Dublin 6. Admission for non-RHSI members is ?7.

COLOUR IN YOUR WINTER GARDEN Colour in Your Garden in Winter is the title of what should be an informative talk by Denis Gill, organised by South Co Dublin Horticultural Society, Wednesday 8 November, 8pm, St Patrick's Community Centre, rear St Pat's Church, Monkstown. Visitors ?5.DIARMUID GAVIN TO GO TO CHELSEA Contrary to the rumour, it is now of"cial that Diarmuid Gavin will do a new show garden for next year's Chelsea Flower Show.

Among other designers creating show gardens for Chelsea is Philip Nixon, who with his design partner Marcus Barnett won a coveted Gold Medal this year for an assured composition inspired by the architecture of Modernist Mies van der Rohe. The popular Andy Sturgeon also returns, along with Isabelle Van Groeningen, who spoke at this year's Garden & Landscape Designer's seminar at UCD in February.

Held annually in the grounds of Chelsea Royal Hospital near Battersea Bridge, the Chelsea Flower Show takes place on 2226 May with 22 & 23 May reserved for RHS members.

Tickets must be booked in advance on 0044-870 247 1226 or at www. rhs. org. uk/"owershows.

Tickets are from £12.50 to £44.

IDEAS TO STEAL FROM THE PROFESSIONALS To "re your imagination and give you plenty of good ideas to work from, you should take time to visit the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin as well as some of the lovely private and public gardens open to the public around Ireland.

When visiting gardens, bring a notebook and pen. Date each page and note the situations where plants are growing well.

For example, are they in sun or shade, in heavy or light soil? Jot down the most appealing and what might work in your garden, be it a plant, a particular combination of plants or an architectural feature.

If you don't know the name of something and there's no gardener to consult, make a sketch or take a photograph.

When you get home, "nd out about it by looking it up in a reference book. You'll be amazed at how quickly your gardening knowledge increases through a little research.

GARDEN WORK Not all climbing roses need to be pruned and shaped, and indeed, some, like the lovely and deliciously scented noisette rose Madame Alfred Carriere, are paragons of virtue, shrugging off black spot and completely trouble-free, depending on the way you grow her.

For example, if you grow her up against a wall, or trained over an arch, Madame Carriere, who is a repeat "owerer still strutting her stuff right now at the beginning of winter, needs fairly constant plucking and pruning to keep her neat and productive: grown this way, you must prune nonproductive shoots after the "rst "owering and then regularly throughout the season.

But if you leave her unpruned, to go her own way or to grow through fruit or other smaller trees - which is the way I "rst saw her grown - she is absolutely glorious, pale and slightly ghostly in the gloaming and completely trouble free.

If you only ever grew one climbing or rambling rose, this one should be high on your list.