Apple Trees
Our premium apple trees are hardy, reliable & will produce delicious fruit for years, not to mention abundant blossom in spring. John, our fruit grower in the New Forest, has over fifty years' experience growing the UK's finest fruit trees. He’s helped us curate a selection of only the very best performing varieties, each with something unique about them. We'll also help you with everything you need to know about choosing, growing and caring for apple trees.
Which apple tree?
Most apples are good for eating and cooking; however some varieties have been bred to give you the best results for each purpose. Dessert apples like Katy are crisp, sweet and best for eating raw. Cooking apples like Bramley and Grenadier are larger and sharper, but cook down to a smooth puree. For a great all-rounder that will serve all purposes (including cider making) try a variety like James Grieve or Elstar. For a space saving tree with a good yield, we recommend cordon trees, which are trained to grow in a column shape. Read more about choosing your perfect apple tree.
What's the deal with rootstocks?
The eventual size of an apple tree depends on its rootstock, so this is an important thing to consider. Trees on MM106 (semi-dwarfing) rootstock will grow to around 4 x 4m, so are best for medium to large gardens. An M26 rootstock means your tree will reach a compact 3 x 3.5m, making it ideal for smaller spaces. M9 rootstocks reach a height of 2.5m and M27 a patio pot friendly 1.5 x 1.5m.
Growers' tips
Apple trees do best in a sunny sheltered spot, but will tolerate partial shade. Plant yours in an accessible place for picking, and water it regularly until it gets established. Trees that are not self fertile need another apple tree from the right pollination group to help them produce fruit. If you live in a populated area it’s very unlikely you’ll have any problems. However if you are in an isolated area, go for a self fertile variety like Scrumptious - and if you have the space, two apple trees grown close together (of different varieties) will crop more heavily.
Using your apples
Crisp and delicious dessert apples are best eaten straight from the tree, whereas cooking apples are the gourmet choice for your crumbles, cobblers and pies, made even better with their traditional BFFs, blackberries or blackcurrants. Once your tree is fully grown you’ll probably have more apples than you know what to do with - that’s the time to invest in a juice press or take a look at our guide to apple storage - follow these steps and your apples will last you for months.
Improved version of "Braeburn" with better flavour & bigger crop
- Excellent flavour with a fresh, aromatic taste.
- One of the most popular varieties to grow at home
- Very easy to grow & stores well into the new year
- Late season - harvest September to October
The Nation's Favourite Cooking Apple
- Sharp, but boils down to a full bodied, rich flavour.
- If you want apple pies, you've found your match
- Huge crops so you can make pies for friends & family too
- Late season - harvest September to October, keeps until February
Really exceptional taste & performance
- Sweet, honeyed, full of fragrance & aromatic tones
- We think this is one of the best for flavour & performance
- Another award winner from legendary breeder H. Ermen
- Harvest late August to September
A British classic, famous for its flavour
- Wonderfully aromatic, with sweetness & a sharp edge
- Compact sized tree, easy to harvest!
- Tastes 10x better than supermarket bought
- Late season - harvest September to October
Probably the best dual purpose variety of apple
- Sharp early apples, sweet & soft later on
- Award winning variety renowned for its juiciness
- Makes great pies, juices & deserts
- Mid season - harvest August to September
Best apple for beginners - easy to grow & super reliable
- Good balance of sweet & sharp with nice aromatic qualities
- Award winning, reliable, heavy cropper
- Easy to grow & suitable for cold areas
- Mid season - harvest August to September
Favourite dessert apple with a mild, sweet taste
- Crisp flesh with a mild, sweet flavour
- A supermarket favourite, stores well & looks good
- Very disease resistant & easy to grow
- Mid season - harvest August-September, keeps for months
Apple enthusiasts adore this classic Victorian Russet
- Dry, soft flesh with a mellow nutty flavour
- World renowned heritage apple with modern performance
- A favourite of gourmet chefs & apple geeks
- Mid season harvest - Sept-Oct, Keeps well.
Easy to grow & super sweet, with a hint of strawberry
- Sweet, slightly acidic, with a strawberry fragrance
- Super juicy, multi-purpose, with a stunning flavour
- Award winner & a favourite here at Roots too
- Early season - harvest July to August, keeps for two months
The top three trees our growers swear by
- Bumper crops from the best performing apple, pear and plum trees in the UK
- Harvest fruit from August to November
- Neat and compact trees for any size of garden
- Chosen by our growers for flavour, ease of growing and fantastic crops
One of the tastiest dessert apples you can grow
- Superb flavour. Intensely sweet, followed by a sharp edge & deep aroma
- This is our growers favorite, & he's tried a few...
- Exceptional performance as well as taste - that is rare
- Late season - harvest September to October
An excellent performer with large crops of juicy red apples
- Fine flavoured; sweet with a short sharpness
- Genuinely dual-purpose apples
- Versatile & award winning variety
- Late season - harvest September to October
Red skin, red flesh, & pink juice
- A good balance of sharp & sweet with subtle strawberry hints.
- Huge crimson skinned apples with juicy pink flesh
- Makes the most delicious juice
- Mid season - harvest August to September
Versatile favourite with a sharp, juicy taste
- Sharp, acidic flavour that really packs a punch
- A "marmite" apple that everyone knows &.. loves?
- Can be used for cooking as well as eating
- Late season - harvest September to October, stores well
A crisp, sweet, juicy apple perfect for kids
- A sweet apple taste with a crisp bite
- Award winning, attractive snow white-looking apple
- As the name suggests, a stoic variety that performs against all odds
- Late season - harvest September to October
Heavy crops of sweet, delicious dessert apples
- Deep, aromatic flavour with a sharp bite. Sweetens late season
- Award winning, easy to grow, heavy cropper
- One of the best keepers so you can enjoy until March
- Late season - harvest September to October, keeps until March
Award winning heirloom dessert apple
- Sweet with a slight strawberry flavour
- Award winner with extra long harvest & stores 'til spring
- Can be used for eating, juices & cider
- Early season - harvest July to August
Crisp, aromatic & delicious
- Crisp, aromatic & juicy
- An improved version of Cox's Orange
- Also easier to grow, producing larger crops
- Mid season - harvest August to September, stores well
Well-loved, versatile & irresistible
- Mild flavoured with a slight sweetness
- Another family favourite with multiple awards to its name
- Stores well & is easy to grow
- Late season - harvest September to October - great for storing
Attractive, soft, sweet apples with a touch of strawberry
- Mildly sweet flavour with strawberry notes
- Easy to grow mild, crisp dual-purpose apple
- Makes the most delicious juice
- Early season - harvest July to August, keeps well
The smarter way to get homegrown apples all season long
- The perfect combination of versatile apples, chosen for flavour
- Enjoy from September to March
- Compact, heavy cropping tried and tested varieties
- The best eating apples, also suitable for pies, crumbles and juicing
Ultra reliable, super early cropping cooking apple
- Cooks down to a very creamy puree with good flavour
- Easy growing cooking apple for rich, creamy purees
- You're guaranteed plenty of apples
- Early season - harvest July to August
Wonderful dual purpose apple with an Oxfordshire bloodline
- Nutty, slightly sour early flavour which sweetens
- Use the early apples for cooking, late for eating
- Award winning heritage apple with a long season
- Late season - harvest September to October, keeps for two months
Attractive russet apple with a hint of Cox flavour
- Nutty, slightly sweet with a sharp edge
- Offspring of Cox said to have similar taste with russet texture
- Bred by legendary apple breeder Hugh Ermen in 1975
- Late season - harvest September to October, Store until January
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