Apple Trees

The apple tree is one of the most widely cultivated of fruit trees. They are deciduous (they shed their leaves in the autumn) and are small reaching just 5-12 m tall. They normally flower in spring, producing white flowers, sometimes with a pink tinge. The fruit matures in mid-late autumn, and can be eaten raw, used in cooking, juiced or made into cider.

Types of Apple Tree

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. The world's biggest collection is housed at the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale farm in Kent. There are three main types of apple tree, each producing either: dessert, cooking or cider apples.

Over the years the variety of apples commercially available has diminished. Customers have been left with a poor choice in supermarkets that tend to be chosen for their storage ability rather than their taste. English varieties are some of the tastiest varieties of Apple available, with a crisp, fresh taste and wonderful exuberant names to match.

English Apple Varieties

English dessert Apple varieties include:

• Worcester Pearmain – delicious sweet taste and smell similar to a strawberry
• Lord Lambourne – classic English dessert apple with high levels of juice and acidity
• Egremont Russet – traditional dessert apple with distinctive nutty taste and thin, dry texture.

English cooking apple varieties include:

• Bramley's Seedling – tangy, sharp flavour. Fruit is large and greenish-yellow with light red striping.
• Cathead – very old large round English apple with greenish-yellow skin that supposedly resembles a cat’s head.
• Allington Pippin – conical shaped apple with a greenish yellow or reddish flush. Flesh is cream-coloured

English cider apple varieties include:

• Brown Snout – the fruit is small and green with patches of russet. Produces a mild to medium bittersweet cider
• Brown's Apple – a vintage apple, which makes a tangy, scented, fruity cider. It is dark red with creamy flesh that is often stained with red. It has a crisp, clean flavour.
• Crimson King – this apple produces an acidic juice and makes a light, fruity cider. It is a bright crimson colour

Characteristics of Apple Trees

Like most perennial fruits, apple trees are propagated by the grafting a cutting of an existing variety on to the root of a new tree. This is because you can’t guarantee that a tree grown from the seeds of an apple will be the same as its parent tree. Growing apple trees from seed can result in brand new cultivars, however, so many breeders deliberately cross-fertilise specific varieties to produce new breeds.

Apples can also form bud sports. These are mutations of the cultivar on a single branch. Some bud sports can actually be improved strains of the parent cultivar. Some differ sufficiently from the parent tree and can be considered as new cultivars.

Growing Apple Trees

Apple trees can be grown in orchards, large pots, or trained as espaliers along a wall or trellis. If you want to grow your own apples, you will need at least two trees so they fertilise each other and produce more fruit. There aren’t many flowers in bloom in early spring when the apple trees are in blossom, but it’s a good idea to plant primroses and rosemary in your garden to attract early bees and other pollinators, who will pollinate your apple flowers and increase your yield. There are self-fertile varieties, however, such as Jonagold, if you are short of space.

A common problem for apple growers is a late frost that destroys the flowers and therefore prevents them from turning into fruit. It is best to plant the trees on a slope or against a wall to help prevent it from frost attack. You could also try growing a frost-resistant variety such as Court Plendu Plat, which is known historically as ‘the wise apple’ because it flowers late and avoids the harshest frosts.

If the frost is not too severe, the tree can be sprayed with very cold water before the morning sun hits the flowers. This helps the cells within the flowers re-adjust to the warm temperature easier, and can help save your crop.

How to Choose Your Apple Tree

Before buying your apple tree, consider what size (height and spread) is appropriate for your garden. The size of the tree can be determined by its rootstock (the lower part of the tree on to which different varieties are grafted). The label should also tell you how fast the tree grows and how high.

Apple trees are normally sold as either one or two year old plants. If you want your tree to produce fruit sooner, it’s best to opt for a two year old tree.

Planting Your Apple Tree

Dig a hole 1m wide and 1m deep. Part-fill it with home-grown compost and place the roots in it. Tie the tree to a support and fill in the hole with soil, firming gently. Water well, and ensure it is well watered during dry spells. You should have apples within two years.