Malus spp. 15x15' (parentage unknown but thought to be a sterile hybrid of M. ioensis × M. coronaria var. angustifolia) Arnold Arboretum, MA, 1943. Heirloom.
Usually the last crab to bloom each spring, even later than Prairie Rose. Always worth the wait. Deep pink buds open to soft, pale pink fragrant highly double flowers that look and smell like roses.
Small open tree suited to small spaces. Medium-green narrow palmate foliage reminiscent of paperbark maple. No fruit. Virtually disease-free. Z4. Maine Grown.NEW! (Standard: 3–6' bare-root trees)
Items from our perennial plants warehouse ordered
on or before March 7 will ship around March 31
through late April, starting with warmer areas and finishing in
colder areas. Orders placed after March 7 will
ship around late April through early-to-mid May, in the order in
which they were received.
Not sure where to start? Check out our Apple Chart!
Choosing a variety: Not every variety may be right for you.
All-purpose apples are just that—they’re good for
a bunch of jobs. If you're planting just one tree, perhaps start there.
However, if you’re a history buff, consider the historical varieties
and maybe plant one that originated nearby. If you don’t eat many
apples but love pies, go for the pie apples. If you’re a dessert
connoisseur, skip all the others and go for the highly flavored dessert
varieties. Some are strictly for cider. Some are great to put out at the
camp for summer use. Some are perfect for those who want fall fruit but
don’t have a root cellar. Others keep all winter and into the
following summer.
Summer apples ripen in summer, are generally crisp
only for a short period, do not store well, and are often best for
cooking.
Fall apples store longer and are useful for a wide
variety of purposes.
Winter apples ripen mid to late fall, store well, and
reach their best flavor after weeks, or even months, of storage.
Dessert apples are delicious eaten raw.
Crabapples are less than 2" in diameter. Some
crabs bear edible or culinary or cider-making fruit. Some have
persistent wildlife fruit that hangs on the tree for weeks or even
months. Others have hardly any fruit at all. Some are beautiful
ornamentals.
Cider apples are especially suited to making
fermented “hard” cider. Some cider apples are also good
dessert fruit, but most are not.
Subacid means tart!
Russet or russeting is a skin
texture (fairly common on apple varieties and on a few pears and
potatoes) which looks and feels somewhat like suede.
Bloom is a naturally occurring dust-like yeast film
on the skin of some varieties of apples, plums, grapes and blueberries.
Cider Apples
Each year we offer a different assortment of the best
European and American
cider varieties, including new wild apple introductions from local fruit
explorers and cidermakers. Many of these are NOT for fresh eating. They do
however possess qualities that make them very desirable for fermented cider
production.
Seedling Apples
These trees were grown from seeds, rather than grafted onto rootstock like the other apple varieties we offer. These standard-sized trees will grow to 20–30'.
Flowering and Culinary Crabapples
A crabapple is any apple with fruit smaller than 2" in
diameter. All
crabs bear edible fruit, some more favorable for culinary use than others.
Some fruits are persistent, hanging on the branch through winter and
providing forage for robins, jays and waxwings in the early spring. The
flowers, tree form and even the shape of the leaves can vary subtly or
profoundly. Most are magnificent in bloom and ornamental year round,
especially in winter when the leaves drop and the trees show off their
interesting forms.
Growing Apples
Soil: Adaptable, but prefers well-drained fertile
soil.
Sun: Full.
Pollination: Requires a second variety for
pollination.
Any apple or crabapple blooming within a quarter mile will probably
do.
For trees on Antonovka and Bud 118 rootstock, 20–25'
apart.
M111 semi-dwarf, 15–20' apart.
G890 semi-dwarf, 10–15' apart.
Bud 9 dwarf, 5–10' apart.
Choosing an Apple Rootstock
Rootstock determines the size, longevity, hardiness and
growth habits of a tree. After enthusiastic response from customers, we
continue to offer an assortment of dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks in
addition to the standard.
Standard rootstock: Most of the apples we offer are on
standard full-sized Antonovka rootstock (and occasionally another
full-sized rootstock). Standard trees have deep, substantial—and
therefore hardier—root systems. By selecting the varieties appropriate
to your district, grafted on standard rootstock, you may well be
planting a tree that will be picked by your grandchildren’s
grandchildren. Standard trees will grow to be large, but you can manage
the size with pruning. The largest trees in our orchards are now about
30 years old, yet the tallest are well under 20' due to careful pruning.
Although standard-sized apple trees may be planted as close as
10–15' apart, they were typically planted 30' apart in 19th-c.
orchards. We generally plant standard trees 20–25' apart with good
results. (Trees on standard stock are shipped at 3-6'.)
Semi-dwarf and dwarf rootstocks: We offer an assortment
of semi-dwarf and dwarf apple trees on Bud 118, M111 and Bud 9
rootstocks. Each has great advantages for some growers, but these
size-controlling rootstocks also have their limitations. Please read on
and decide if they are what you want. If you are uncertain, stick with
the good old standards, which are extremely rugged, hardier, more
tolerant of drought and poor soils, very long-lived, and more capable of
thriving under a regime of benign neglect.
Bud 118 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree
about 85–90% of standard size or even larger.
Sometimes Bud 118 trees are called semi-standards or even standards.
Considered to be more precocious (fruiting at a young age) than
standards, and probably more productive. Very hardy, though not as
hardy as Antonovka. Plant about 20–25' apart.
M111 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree about
65–80% of standard size. Sometimes M111 trees
are
called semi-standards. M111 may not be more precocious than
standard-sized trees. However they will likely be more productive.
M111 has a relatively shallow spreading root system, does well in
light soils, and is relatively drought tolerant. Prone to suckering;
not as long-lived or hardy as Antonovka. You can plant them closer
together than standards, about 15–20' apart.
G890 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree about
55–65% of standard size. Adaptable to
different climates and soil types, deeply rooted and hardy. Highly
resistant to fireblight—the varieties we offer on G890 are ones
we’ve found to be susceptible to fireblight in some locations.
Plant trees 10–15' apart.
Bud 9 dwarfing rootstock produces a small dwarf
tree, 25–55% of standard size. This makes it
easy to spray, prune and pick. It requires less space in your yard
and will fruit at an early age. Trees should be staked or trellised
for support. These trees are hardy, though not as hardy as
Antonovka, and they won’t live as long. You can plant trees
5–10' apart.
