If you grafted your own tree last year, here is more information about how to look after your new tree.

 

Our own Hilary even taught Carol Klein how to graft!

Rootstock Descriptions   (RHS reference: here)                       

    

    MM 106                         

    Half standard.  A good choice for small to large gardens. This rootstock will produce an apple tree about 3.6 metres (12     foot) wide and 3m (10 foot) tall at maturity.
   Apple trees on MM106 rootstock can easily be pruned to keep them to a height of around 2 to 2.5 metres (6 to 8 ft)             high. They have the added benefit over M26 rootstock in that they will not require staking after a couple of years.
   The tree will not grow too large, so that the average mobile person will find it easy to prune. In the north west of                 England it is ideal for cordons and espaliers.

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    M26                         

    Dwarf. A good rootstock for a small garden and ideal for a small bush tree or cordon and espalier shaped trees. Trees        grown on M26 may need supporting with a stake during thier life, as the rootstock does not produce a strong root              system. Apple trees on M26 rootstock will produce a crop in the third year. It is ideal for the amateur gardener who            wants to grow a small bush tree or cordon and espalier shaped trees. Its size can be controlled to a large degree by          pruning twice a year, with no specialist knowledge required.

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    M25

    Standard.  Full size tree suitable for orchards and large spaces. Very vigorous; typically 12-15ft high; can be bigger              depending on variety, large, heavy, spreading tree.

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    MM 111                         

    Suitable for: standards and half standards and generally start fruiting after four or five years. Ultimate height as trained        as bush would be 13-15ft. Suitable for most soils including orchards in grass and on poor soils. Staking is not necessary      if planted as a one year old but those planted as 2-3 year old trees need staking for the first 3 years. Recommended

    spacing is 15ft apart with 20ft between rows.

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Adam's Pearmain

An old English dessert apple which are suitable for the west, being moderately vigourous. It is a partial

tip-bearer. It crops well, but can tend to being biennial. the fruit has the crisp, dry, nutty taste of many

russets.

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Arthur Turner

A large, mid-season cooker. Raised by Charles Turner at Slough, Bucks., and introduced by him in 1915, it received the Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1912 as 'Turner's Prolific'. It was renamed in 1913. It is well known for its particularly attractive blossom, for which it received an Award of Garden Merit in 1945.

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Autumn Harvest

A green apple which was once grown in every Westmorland orchard. Genetically indistinguisable from Rev. W. Wilks, but flesh is said to be coarser.

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Ashmead's Kernal

A high quality dessert apple, late in season, which was first raised in the 1700s in Gloucestershire. However, it

does very well in Cumbria, producing sweet and slightly russetted fruit which will generally store until

February. Now confirmed as a triploid, so will need at least two other trees in the vicinity.

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Beauty of Bath

An early season dessert apple which originated at Bailbrook, Bath, Somerset and was introduced by Cooling of Bath in about 1864. It received a First Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1887. This variety was once the most important early commercial apple in the U.K. Its fruits are soft, juicy, sweet and a little acid, with a distinctive flavour.

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Blenheim Orange

A dual purpose triploid which is a vigorous grower. The fruit has a dry distictive flavour, and Rosie Sanders desribes it as "..one of the loviest apples". It is a partial tip bearer, and the fruits are for storing between October and January.

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Bradley's Beauty

A vary hardy and disease resistant variety found on the mosses by one of our own members. A crisp dual

purpose apple which sweetens as it matures. Now widely grown as it is such a lovely tree, it is very vigourous,

and will need a lot of space.

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Epicure / Laxton's Epicure

An early dessert, Epicure was raised in 1909 by the Laxton Brothers at Bedford in 1929, and received the Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1931. Fruits have moderately firm and juicy flesh with a refreshing flavour reminiscent of its parent, Cox's Ornage Pippin

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Discovery

A very early dessert apple which should be eaten off the tree, or very shortly thereafter. It is very easy to grow, and its crisp flavour straight off the tree means it is a good tree to have for children, or where one has just one tree in a garden or patio. Discovery is a seedling of Worcester Pearmain.

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Duke of Devonshire

A very late dessert apple, it was bred in 1835 by Wilson, gardener to the Duke of Devonshire

at Holker Hall, Cumbria. Fruits have firm, fine-textured, juicy flesh with a rich, nutty

flavour. It is resistant to scab, moderately

vigorous and freely spur bearing.

 

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George Cave

A very early dessert apple, which is best eated straight off the tree. Raised in 1923 by George Cave at Dovercourt,

Essex. It was acquired by Seabrook & Sons Ltd of Boreham, Essex and named in 1945. Fruits have a little soft,

fine-textured, juicy flesh with a little acid, slightly aromatic and pleasant flavour.

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Gold Medal

An early dual purpose Lancashire Variety, Gold Medal was raised by Troughton, a nurseryman at Preston, Lancashire. Its original name was Ryland Surprise, and it was introduced in about 1882. Fruits have soft, white flesh with a slightly acid flavour.

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Golden Pippin

A mid season dessert apple which was recorded in 1629. Fruits have firm, crisp flesh with a sweet, subacid and rich flavour.

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Gravenstein

Found in Denmark, notable for its sweetness and favoured in baking. Gravenstein is an old apple variety from Denmark which remains very popular on account of its high quality flavour.

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Greenups Pippin / Yorkshire Beauty

A mid season dual purpose apple, which was found in the garden of shoemaker Greenup in Keswick and introduced in the late 1700s by nurserymen Clarke & Atkinson, Keswick. Fruits have tender, yellowish white flesh with a sweet subacid flavour.

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Katy

An early dessert apple (but not as early as Discovery) originally from Sweden. Available commercially it is a cross between James Grieve and Worcester Pearmain. A hardy apple and a good pollinator which does well in Cumbria and is easy to grow.

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Keswick Codlin

An early cooker, this is one of the first apples ready in the autumn. It was originally found growing on a heap

of rubbish at Gleaston Castle near Ulverston, Lancashire, England. It was recorded in 1793. Introduced by

nurseryman John Sander at Keswick, hence the name Keswick Codlin.

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Lane's Prince Albert

A late cooker, which is thought to have been raised in about 1840 by Thomas Squire of Berkhamsted. It was introduced by John Lane in 1850 and received a First Class Certificate from RHS in 1872. Its fruits are very juicy, acid and cooks well. It is still popular, especially in the north west as it is an easy tree to grow in the garden, with generally good disease resistance and tolerating a wide range of situations.

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Mere de Menage

A mid season cooker which as known in the late 1700s. Fruits have firm, greenish, rather coarse-textured and rather dry flesh with an acid flavour. This variety is not one identified as a members' favourite, as it is not widely grown, but was added as an unusual variety for someone who might want something a little different.

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Minshull Crab

A mid season cooking apple which originated in Minshull, Cheshire, England. The original tree was growing in 1777. Fruits have firm, crisp, white flesh with a very acid and bitter flavour.

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Newton Wonder

A late season cooker with a very large, with a sharp acidic flavour, which cooks down to a puree. The apples also

store very well.

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Proctors Seedling

Proctors seedling is a late, dessert, red striped Lancashire apple which was much grown around Lancaster in the

18th century, and is remembered as a favourite apple by the older generation. According to Taylor,it is "well known in Liverpool markets as a popular dessert apple for January." It's not seen outside Lancashire or Cumbria.

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Red Devil

Red Devil is a mid-season dessert apple, notable for its distinctive red flesh. The flesh is white as with most apples, but stained with red which grows inwards from the skin. This is a characteristic sometimes seen in its parent, Discovery, but much more obvious in Red Devil.

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Ribston Pippin

A highly recommended late dessert apple which originates from Ribston Hall near Knaresborough, Yorkshire.

As a triploid, it is vigorous and hardy, but does not appear to resent being restricted. A lovely fruit, which will

keep, but is best eaten before December.

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Scotch Bridget

Scotch Bridget originated in Scotland in 1851. A culinary apple commonly found in Cumbrian farm orchards, it

will produce regularly and crops fairly heavily in northern locations. The fruits have tender, soft flesh, flushed

with red. It has a sub-acid rich flavour and will not fall when cooked. When kept until December, the fruit ripens

to become a desert apple. Now confirmed as a triploid, so will need at least two other trees in the vicinity.

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Scrumptious

A new early dessert variety which is a cross between Golden Delicious and Discovery. The variety is suitable for wetter areas, and crops heavily. the flavour is described as rich and complex with a hint of aniseed.

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St Edmund's Russet / St Edmund's Pippin

Raised by Mr. Harvey at Bury St Edmunds in 1870. Fruit small, flattish somewhat conical;

skin covered in russet very bright orange; skin rough, thick and tough; flesh juicy and

russet flavoured, crisp and creamy-white. Saint Edmund's Russet (sometimes known as

St. Edmund's Pippin) is one of the best russet apple varieties. It looks superb with its

dull matt russet colouring, and tastes great. The flavour is richer than Egremont Russet,

and noticeably juicier. Dessert, season November. A partial tip-bearer.

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Sunset

A mid season dessert whcih was raised from a pip of Cox's Orqage Pippin. It is more reliable than Cox in

colder wetter areas, and hence good for the north west. Cropping is good and reliable, but needs thinning.

A delicious flavour.

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Taylor's Favourite

A mid season cooker which originates from Whitebeck farm in the Lyth Valley.

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