Apple Trees
Apple Trees
Malus domestica
Apples have been a staple of the human diet since ancient times. Their varied shapes, sizes, colours, and tastes provide fruit that is beautiful to the eyes and pleasing to the palate in many forms—fresh, baked, stewed, dried, cider, sauce, and jelly. When planning to plant apple trees, remember that to ensure pollination and fruit set, two different varieties are required. For example, Idared and Golden Russet trees will pollinate each other, but two Idared trees will not. Some varieties, called triploids, have sterile pollen and cannot pollinate other trees. A third variety is then required to ensure pollination of all trees. Pollination requirements for each variety are listed in their descriptions!
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183 products
183 products
History: Spartan apples are a Canadian variety that was developed at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, BC in 1936 by Dr. R.C. Palmer. Of particular interest is the fact that Spartan apples are the first apple variety created by a formal scientific breeding program. They have been popular in North America ever since and are even commonly found in gardens in the UK.
Why We Grow It: This variety is known for its sweet/acid flavour and pleasant crunch, especially when eaten fresh off the tree. They tend to soften rather quickly after they are picked but luckily the fruit hangs on the tree 2-3 weeks after its ripe which helps to extend the optimal time to enjoy this variety. Spartan apples are also known for being relatively easy to grow, having decent disease resistance, heavy crops, and an ability to keep all winter.
History: The St. Lawrence apple was discovered in the Montreal area as a seedling of a Snow apple, the most popular variety in Quebec at the time. By 1835, these apples were commonly grown in the area where they were popular for fresh eating and cooking but have since faded into obscurity.
Why We Grow It: Although less popular now, these apples are still good for eating and baking. The boldly striped red skin also makes the fruit very attractive. The tree bears good crops each year and is relatively hardy.
History: Strawberry Pippin is another variety whose history we know little about. All we know is that it likely originated in England where it was first recorded in 1874. The 'pippin' in its name indicates that it was grown from seed by chance.
Why We Grow It: While we may not know much about its past, we do know why we are happy to grow it! Strawberry Pippin has an attractive red striped fruit which is quite firm and sweet. Its excellent flavour is best enjoyed picked fresh right off the tree. In our experience, Strawberry Pippin does well with minimal care, and is an excellent choice for the backyard.
Why We Grow It: It is hard to turn down an apple that sounds as wonderful as Sundance! It is crisp and juicy with a spicy, citric flavour. Along with being great for fresh eating, the fruit also holds its shape well when baked. As an added bonus, this variety is resistant to many common apple diseases and stores quite well so you'll have plenty of high quality apples to easily last you through the winter.
History: Sweet Coppin originated in Devon, England, in the early 1700s. It was grow on a relatively large scale in the 1800s before its popularity waned, although it has since made a comeback and is grown around the world.
Why We Grow It: While this old English cider apple has a very good but mild flavour that is suitable for fresh eating, it is most well known for its cider qualities. It produces a full sweet cider of vintage quality
History: Sweet Sixteen was developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1977. It is one of nearly thirty varieties released by the university since its breeding program began in 1888.
Why We Grow It: Some apples taste better when grown in colder climates, and Sweet Sixteen is one of them. For a fresh-eating apple, this is a favourite. Sweet Sixteen provides that crisp first bite that so many people love in an apple, and the pure white flesh will not disappoint for flavour with a very unique, distinct honeyed flavour. Its cold-hardiness and general disease-resistance (tolerant of scab and cedar rust) make it winner for the grower too.
History: Thunderchild is a crabapple that was developed by Percy Wright, a prairie plant breeder in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Although it is unknown when exactly Thunderchild was created, it likely came about in the 1900s and can still be seen as a common ornamental tree in the area.
Why We Grow It: Thunderchild makes for a lovely ornamental tree with a profusion of pink blossoms in the spring and deep red foliage. The tiny dark red fruits it produces can be used in cider blends and to make jellies with a gorgeous orange hue. The tree is quite cold hardy and generally disease resistant.
History: Little is known about the origin of this heritage apple, but Tolman Sweet has been highly valued since its discovery. It is uncertain whether it came from Massachusetts or New York in the 18th or 19th century but it was first recorded in 1822. This hardy tree was used as a source of rootstock at one time.
Why We Grow It: Tolman Sweet is a great all-purpose apple. The fruit are medium-sized with yellow skin, and have a distinctly sweet, dry flesh. They are nice for fresh eating but can also be used in baking, drying, and pickling. Their unusually low acid content helps to reduce acidity in both sweet and hard cider.
For the most up-to-date information see Claude Jolicoeur's website here!
History: This particular iteration of Trail, previously referred to as Bilodeau, has a bit of a messy history. A Trail crabapple tree was mislabeled at a Quebec nursery in the 1980s and sold to an unknowing customer named Claude Bilodeau who thought he was purchasing a pear tree. Later on Claude Jolicoeur, well-known Quebecois cider-maker and pomologist, took a cutting from this tree and found that the fruit (definitely not a pear!) was excellent for making cider. Since it was still a mystery what the original variety was, the crabapple was named Bilodeau by Jolicoeur after the owner of the tree - only for Paul Kron from the University of Guelph to confirm that it was actually Trail via DNA testing in 2022. The Trail crab was bred at Ottawa from a cross of Northern Queen x Rideau, it was selected in 1913 and introduced in 1920.
Why We Grow It: Despite the confusion, we are regardless happy to have this apple in our catalogue! This bittersharp cider apple has excellent cider-making qualities and, unlike most crabapples, is also great when eaten fresh or made into jelly!
History: Tremlett's Geneva Bitter (aka Geneva Tremlett's Bitter) come from a tree that was believed to be Tremlett's Bitter, an English cider variety. It was imported to Geneva, New York from England in the 1960s but at some point there was a mix-up and the mistake was only uncovered after many American growers had received scions from the erroneous tree.
Why We Grow It: Although this isn't the traditional bittersweet cider apple popular in England, Tremlett's Geneva Bitter still produces a good quality bittershap cider. Some say it is even better than the original!
History: Tsugaru is another apple that was created at the Aomori Apple Experiment Station in Japan and released in 1975. It was likely named after Tsugaru, a nearby city, or the Tsugaru samurai clan that controlled the area during the Edo period. This variety is quite popular in Japan and represents the sweetness that is coveted among Japanese apple fans.
Why We Grow It: If you love sweet apples, you need to give Tsugaru a try. It has a very mild flavour with virtually no acid. It is performing very well in our test orchard, providing an abundance of nice clean fruit. It is one of Steph's favourites.
History: Twenty Ounce (aka Cayuga Redstreak) was discovered sometime in the early 1800s in Cayuga County, New York. It was first officially described in an 1844 issue of "The Magazine of Horticulture" by C.M. Hovey who called it Twenty Ounce due to its notable size.
Why We Grow It: These very large apples are excellent for cooking and make wonderful pies and applesauce. Save time with peeling and coring! They are a little tart for eating fresh, but makes an exceptional ingredient that keeps its shape when cooked.
Why We Grow It: It is easy to see why growers were so eager to overlook Viking's scab susceptibility, its flavour providing a sweet-tart taste with notes of rose and lychee. It is an excellent all-purpose apple that can be used for cooking, baking, sauce, and cider. Its great flavour and utility is matched by its attractive appearance, the large fruit featuring dark red skin bordering on maroon. However, it does bruise easily and brown quickly and only stores for about a month at most.
History: Vista Bella was created at Rutgers University in New Jersey in the 1950s and released in 1974. Although its poor keeping ability prevents it from being a commercial success, this early ripening variety is still a nice way to herald in the apple harvest season every year.
Why We Grow It: Vista Bella is the first red apple of the season. The flavour and texture are of better quality than other early apples, making Vista Bella an excellent choice for early farmer’s market sales and roadside stands. The flesh is crisp and juicy, although it softens quickly and, like other early apples, does not keep long.
History: Wagener apples come from a seed that was planted by George Wheeler in the Finger Lakes area of New York in 1791. In 1796, Abraham Wagener purchased Wheeler's property and planted the seedling on his own property in Penn Yan village where the tree was known for producing attractive, tasty fruit in abundance every year. The variety was named after Wagener and became popular for its excellent storage qualities.
Why We Grow It: Wagener is ideal for the self-sufficient homesteader who values a late keeper, lasting until April in an ordinary cold cellar. When first picked they have a sharp, acidic taste and are great for cooking. In storage, they mellow to an excellent sweet, crisp apple that is perfect for fresh eating.
History: Wealthy apples were created by horticulturalist Peter Gideon after spending years trying to breed an apple variety that could survive Minnesota's harsh winters. With the very last of his money, he purchased seeds and scions in 1868 in one final attempt and was able to produce the Wealthy apple which he named after his wife, Wealthy Gideon. He gave scions away freely and Wealthy became one of the top five apples grown in the US.
Why We Grow It: A medium to large sized apple, Wealthy makes splendid applesauce, but is also very good for fresh eating with a balanced sweet-tart crunch. The tree is scab resistant and cold hardy, makes an excellent pollinator for other apples, and is well-suited for organic orchards.
History: Westfield Seek-No-Further was discovered in Westfield, Massachusets in the 1700s. Its flavour is reminiscent of popular fresh eating apples in England which is probably why this apple was so popular among English colonizers. It was the most popular fresh eating apple in New England during the 1800s.
Why We Grow It: Historically a favourite eating apple, Westfield-Seek-No-Further's sharp, nutty flavour is as unique as its quaint name! It now has potential as an addition to cider blends.
History: Westland apples were developed at the Alberta Special Crops and Horticultural Research Centre in Brooks, Alberta and introduced in 1979.
Why We Grow It: This medium sized pie apple is cold hardy, excellent for the prairies and northern regions. The fruit is large and a pale yellow-ish green with red flush and stripes.
History: White Jersey is another English cider apple whose origins are a little obscure. It was popular in the Somerset area of England during the 1800s where it was first recorded in 1895. It is still grown in modern cider orchards in the UK today.
Why We Grow It: Although it has been deemed an apple with 'average quality juice,' White Jersey is still worth checking out if you are interested in cider making. It does well in the Great Lakes area and it compensates for its average juice quality with good productivity and a tendency to start bearing fruit early.
History: Whitney crabapples were grown from seed by nurseryman A.R. Whitney around 1865 at Whitney Nursery in Illinois, US. It became popular for its excellent cold hardiness and productivity and in the 1900s the state of Montana recommended it as one of the best crabapple varieties to grow.
Why We Grow It: These large (for a crabapple) yellow and red apples boast a sweet-sharp flavour with some astringency and juicy, crispy flesh. They are a truly multipurpose fruit and can be eaten fresh (if you like some astringency to your apple) or used for cooking, sauce, cider, and jelly. The trees are very cold hardy and boast good disease resistance as well.
History: Winesap's origins are unclear but it is believed to have originated from New Jersey pre-1800s where it was popular for making cider. It is first mentioned in a couple of books on apples in the early 1800s. Winesap was popular in the US until the 1950s due to its good keeping ability but the advent of better storage technology allowed better tasting apple varieties to eclipse it. It is still quit popular with backyard orchardists.
Why We Grow It: Winesap's all-purpose nature helps to explain why it hasn't faded into total obscurity like some other varieties. The medium-large red and yellow skinned fruit is good for cooking and making cider. It has sweet flesh with some tang or 'winey' flavour that is also decent for fresh eating. On top of that, the tree is productive, very resistant to fireblight, and the fruit stores well.
History: Winter Banana originated on David Flory's farm in Indiana around 1876. It was named Winter Banana due to the apparently banana-like aroma it gives off when ripe. It is also named Flory Banana or Flory Apple after David Flory. Winter Banana was grown on the west coast and gained some popularity in England and Germany. The thin skin of this variety is easily bruised which prevented it from being a commercial variety but it is still commonly found in gardens and farmer's markets.
Why We Grow It: This all-purpose apple is extremely attractive with pale yellow skin and a pinkish-red blush. The banana-like aroma is accompanied by sweet flesh with an acid tang. The flavour improves in storage and the apples can be kept all winter.
History: Wolf River was raised from seed by Quebec lumberman William Springer in the latter half of the 19th century. When Springer and his family were moving by wagon to Wisconsin, they bought a bushel of Alexander apples along the way. Upon arriving at their new home, he planted the seeds from said apples along the bank of the Wolf River and the Wolf River apple grew from there. This variety has since garnered a reputation as a good cooking apple and for the incredible size of its fruit.
Why We Grow It: First and foremost, Wolf River is legendary for the huge size of its fruit. The apples can weigh a pound or more and there are stories of pies being made from a single apple. The fruit, green with red blush and stripes, has a sweet and tart flavour that is good for cooking and it holds its shape well when cooked. The tree itself is hardy and relatively disease resistant as well.
History: Yarlington Mill was discovered growing in the wild by a Mr. Bartlett. He discovered it in 1898 near a mill in the English village of Yarlington, hence the name 'Yarlington Mill.' It was further propagated and made popular by the grower Harry Masters (who also grew Harry Masters Jersey). This variety is still commonly planted in cider orchards in England.
Why We Grow It: This is an excellent cider apple for our climate. It produces a medium bittersweet juice with good flavour. The tree is hardy and vigorous but tends to bear biennially so it requires attentive thinning.
History: Generally just known as Gravenstein, it is unknown when or where exactly these apples came from but they were imported from France to Denmark in the 1600s by Count Frederik the Younger and planted at the summer residence of the Danish royal family, Gråsten Palace. As a result the variety was named Gråsten (Danish for graystone) which translates to Gravenstein in German. This apple has been popular in Canada since the 1820s, particularly in Nova Scotia, and provided the dried apples and applesauce for American soldiers during WW2. In 2005 it was declared the national apple of Denmark.
Why We Grow It: Yellow Gravenstein's excellence as a fresh eating and cooking apple makes it easy to see why it is grown in so many different countries, even if the tree is slow to bear fruit and is prone to many common fruit tree diseases (although we haven't had much issues growing it here). It has a great sweet/tart flavour and is crunchy and juicy. The fruit is a nice yellow with red striping.
History: Yellow Transparent (aka White Transparent and Glass Apple) originated as a chance seedling in a nursery in Riga, Latvia around 1850. At the time Latvia was part of the Russian Empire so this variety is often considered Russian. Due to its early ripening and cold hardiness, this variety was widely grown in Europe, especially northern countries, where it is still grown today. It was imported to the US in the 1870s as part of an effort to import cold hardy Russian species that could potentially survive in states with harsher winters and became quite popular.
Why We Grow It: This classic early apple deserves a home in every home orchard. The fruit features pale yellow skin that almost looks transparent and white flesh with a sharp, sweet flavour. It can be eaten fresh but also makes a great applesauce. Like many early ripening apples, the fruit does not last long.
History: Antonovka was discovered near Kursk, Russia in 1826 and then developed by renowned Russian plant breeder I.V. Michurin. It was released in 1888 and became a popular variety in Russia, Poland, and Belarus due to its good flavour and quality for cooking/baking. In Russia, Antonovka was given the name 'The People's Apple' and in 2008 a monument to it was unveiled in Kursk. Although this hardy variety is less popular outside of its homeland, it has been commonly used as rootstock due to its ability to grow a strong, deep root system that makes it hardier and more drought tolerant.
Why We Grow It: This tree produces a refreshing, juicy, tart yellow apple that cooks down well. It is also quite cold hardy which is a great feature in our Canadian environment.
For the most up-to-date information on this cultivar, see Claude Jolicoeur's website here!
History: Well-known Quebec cidermaker Claude Jolicoeur discovered this variety as a chance seedling growing on his property. The fruit is bitter with a banana-like aroma, and was therefore given the name Banane Amère (translated from French as 'bitter banana').
Why We Grow It: Despite its inedible nature, Banane Amère is an excellent cider apple and produces a bittersweet juice. It shares some characteristics with the popular cider variety Yarlington Mill but tends to ripen better in our climate.
History: Brown Snout was discovered on a farm in the UK in the mid-1800s. Its name comes from the brown russet around its calyx. H.P. Bulmer, a cider-making company, further propagated and spread this apple in the UK where it is still used today.
Why We Grow It: This medium bittersweet cider apple has small, uniquely coloured fruit that are sweet, slightly astringent, medium-tannin, and have low acidity.
History: Greensleeves was bred as a cross between James Grieve and Golden Delicious by Dr. Frank Alston at the East Malling Research Station in the UK in 1966. In 1981 it received the Royal Horticulture Society Award of Merit and was released the year after.
Why We Grow It: These round, golden apples have a nice sweet/tart flavour that mellows out with maturity. They are great for making juice or cider as well as fresh eating. The tree has low vigour so it naturally stays more compact, a useful feature if you don't have a lot of space.