I've just bought an M27 (dwarf) apple tree.

[FB.]

Rob, there's no need to worry yet.
Apples don't generally leaf-out until late April or early May. Pears are a few weeks earlier and plums a few weeks earlier than pears.
Only about half of my apples are swelling buds at the moment and the buds that are swelling are the flower buds for this April-June. The leaf buds are still dormant. If yours is a young plant, it probably won't have many flower buds, so will still appear dormant.
In coming weeks, I am planning to put a topic up that gets updated each time one of my apples comes into leaf and/or flower.

[Rob]

I realise I should have pruned the tree earlier, but now it's started growing from the top, what should I do?

It kinda looks like a stick with lots of leaves on the top.

[FB.]

Don't prune it now. In fact, I try not to prune any new trees until they have had a whole season of growth after being planted - it helps them to establish better.
With most varieties, M27 rootstock is too weak to tolerate anything more than dormant (winter) pruning.

[bluemoon]

I'm not a fruit expert, Hayley, but we bought a new variety 'Herefordshire Russet' on M27 rootstock and we've had it a couple of years, it fruits well and the apples are lovely. We have others, but this is definitely my favourite, a sort of sweet, juicy, nutty flavour and so far no problems.

[Rob]

Don't prune it now. In fact, I try not to prune any new trees until they have had a whole season of growth after being planted - it helps them to establish better.
With most varieties, M27 rootstock is too weak to tolerate anything more than dormant (winter) pruning.

Thanks FB, you're great!

Rob.

[FaeLLe]

How thick does the trunk of these apple trees grow?

I have a bedding next to a wooden fence that I would like to grow an M27 rootstock apple tree against.

The width available is just a foot wide, will the tree trunk grow as thick as this?

Thanks for the advice!