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Apricots are not as difficult to grow as their choice sun-loving fruits might suggest. The secret of success lies in providing warmth at flowering and fruiting time, very good drainage but never any shortage of water. Fan-training on a warm sunny wall is one solution, although plants also grow well in large containers or under glass. Like all stone fruits, they should be pruned between early spring and mid-autumn, when wounds heal quickly. 'Alfred' is a well-flavoured, vigorous variety, early flowering and sometimes biennial-cropping unless the fruit is thinned ruthlessly.