Apple Trees

History: Maypole was developed in 1976 by Plant Breeding International at the East Malling Research Station in the UK as a cross between Wijcik Spur McIntosh and Baskatong. Wijcik Spur McIntosh originated as a mutation discovered on a McIntosh tree in 1962 in the Wijcik Orchards in British Columbia, the branch growing oddly straight with little branching. Several varieties were deliberately bred to have this mutation and now Maypole, released in 1986, is one of six columnar varieties developed at the station. This series of trees is known as Ballerina in the UK but due to that name being unavailable in the US, they are known as Colonnade in North America. 

Why We Grow It: Not only is Maypole unique as a columnar apple, this crabapple also boasts lovely red flesh, bronze coloured leaves, and pretty pink blossoms in the spring. This makes it overall a lovely ornamental tree to have, whether planted in the yard or in a pot. The fruit is also excellent for jelly, apple butter, and cider, adding a red hue to each. It can also be eaten fresh although it tends to be quite acidic with a touch of sweetness.

History: Little is known about this variety aside from that it originated in the Brittany region of France in the 1800s. The variety is held in high esteem as a traditional French cider variety. Translated from French, its name means 'Queen of Apples.'

Why We Grow It: Reine des Pommes produces a bold, fragrant flavoured bittersweet cider that is quite unique. It is good both as a single-variety cider and in blends. The tree is fairly vigorous and produces good crops. 

History: Not to be confused with Stembridge Cluster, Stembridge Jersey was introduced in Somerset, England, in the 1950s. To this day it remains a popular variety in UK cider orchards.

Why We Grow It: The good-quality bittersweet juice produced by this variety explains why it is still popular in the UK. Although Stembridge Jersey suffers from a tendency to only produce fruit every other year, it does produce good crops in those alternate years and is relatively disease resistant.  

History: This English cider apple originated in and was named after Rodney Stoke, a small village in Somerset, England. It was discovered around 1920 and has been popular in England since. 

Why We Grow It: Stoke Red produces a great bittersharp juice that is well-regarded for cider making. As an added bonus, it is a heavy cropper and resistant to scab.

History: AKA Co-op 30, Enterprise is one of the many varieties that was developed through the collaborative PRI disease-resistant breeding program run by Purdue University, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois. It was introduced in 1993 and has proven to be a very reliable variety. Although its name does not start with 'PRI' like many of the other varieties that came from this program, they still snuck the initials into Enterprise's name.

Why We Grow It: Enterprise produces crisp fruit that it is known for its strong, rich, tart flavour that can be described as spiced. It is a very disease-resistant variety that grows quickly, produces reliable crops, and stores for a long time.  They are good for fresh eating although the skin is on the thicker side, and they can be used for cooking, baking, and sauce.

History: Golden Sentinel was developed at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, BC. It was first bred in 1986 as part of a breeding program to create high quality columnar apples. It underwent further testing until 1997, after which it was eventually released.  

Why We Grow It: Golden Sentinel is wonderful for a variety of reasons! It produces attractive, large yellow apples with a sweet flavour reminiscent of Golden Delicious. The fruit can be eaten fresh or used for baking. Its columnar growth habit means it stays quite thin, making it a great option for container growing and/or those with limited space. This variety is also quite disease resistant. 

History: Pine Golden Pippin's exact origins are unknown, but it is quite an old variety that either originated in northern England or in Scotland. It was first formally described by nursery worker Thomas Rivers in A Descriptive Catalogue of Fruit Trees in 1863. In 1875, Robert Hogg claimed that Pine Golden Pippin was one of the best fresh eating apples around in his book The Fruit Manual. 

Why We Grow It: Robert Hogg was correct about Pine Golden Pippin! Despite the small size of the fruit, it makes up for it with crisp and juicy fruit with a sweet/sharp flavour that has a hint of pineapple and resin. The fruit is great for fresh eating and can also be used in cider blends. It tends to be slower growing but produces good crops. 

History: The origins of Pomme Gris (translated as 'gray apple' from French) are a bit of a mystery. It may have originated in France in the 1600s as either a seedling or sport of the variety Reinette Gris which was then brought to Quebec by French or Swiss colonizers. Alternatively, it may have its origins in Quebec, perhaps being grown and propagated in Canada from the start. The first instance of this variety's documentation was by a William Forsyth in 1803 who believed the apple originated in Canada and made its way to Europe sometime in the 1700s. Regardless, this variety was grown in Quebec for centuries. 

Why We Grow It: Pomme Gris is an excellent all-purpose apple! Although not the prettiest apple in the world, it is crisp, juicy, and aromatic with a nutty flavour and hints of vanilla. It was really a standout when our tree first produced fruit a couple years ago! The fruit can also be used for cooking and the apple would likely be a good addition to cider blends. 

History: York Imperial was discovered as a seedling tree growing on the farm of John Kline in Pennsylvania. Nurseryman Jonathan Jessop, of Springwood Farm in York, Pennsylvania, began propagating the variety in 1820 after witnessing schoolboys digging through the leaves around the base of the tree in spring and retrieving apples there were in great condition despite spending all winter on the ground. In an age without refrigeration, Jessop knew this variety had excellent commercial potential. It was initially named Jonathan's Fine Winter for its excellent storage properties but was later renamed York Imperial after horticulturalist Andrew Jackson Downing called it the 'imperial of keepers,' again referencing its storability and the location of Jessop's farm. It quickly became popular and remains one of few heritage apples that are still commonly grown in the US today. 

Why We Grow It: York Imperial produces a rather lop-sided fruit with yellow skin and red striping. It is crisp and juicy with a lovely sweet, honeyed flavour that is hard to turn down. The fruit is truly all-purpose, also being great for cooking, baking, jelly, juice, drying, and cider and generally storing quite well. While not the fastest growing tree and with a tendency to start producing fruit a little later than other varieties, York Imperial is an exercise in patience that is well worth the wait. 

History: Cortland apples were first bred in 1898 by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1915. Since then, they have become one of the top fifteen apples in the US and Canada, although the majority are still grown relatively close to the university where they originated. While there are different versions of Cortland available with features such as redder skin, we are happy to offer the original!

Why We Grow It: Especially with older, popular varieties, we are always happy to offer what is, to the best of our knowledge, the original strain. Cortland is a sweet apple with crisp, juicy flesh. It is great for applesauce or drying as the flesh is slow to brown. The fruit keeps until Christmas under home storage conditions although the crispness and flavour does fade over time. This variety crops well annually and makes a good pollinator for others. 

History: True Root Pippin was discovered on Steph's dad Gary Roth on the family farm in 2022.  He happened to come across a large apple tree, a chance seedling, covered in fruit growing along the fenceline and decided to sample them. Pleased by the quality of the apples, we later decided to propagate this lucky find and make these apples available to everyone! It was named True Root Pippin in honour of True Root Nursery, Gary Roth's nursery which is located on the property and is the source of our seedlings. We are happy to introduce True Root Pippin for the first time in 2024. 

Why We Grow It: We're always on the lookout for exciting new varieties and this one stood out! True Root Pippin is a pleasant green apple with attractive red striping, albeit it is on the smaller side. It has a good sweet flavour balanced with some tartness. It keeps well and produces nice, clean fruit with minimal care.

Since this is a new variety, there is still a lot for us to learn about it! If you grow this variety and have any observations or find any fun uses for the fruit, we'd love to hear from you!

History: Waxing Moon was discovered by Steph's cousin Liam Younger who has spent many summers working here at the nursery! He found it growing as a chance seedling on his family farm in 2023, drawn in by the apple's pale white skin. Naming the variety Waxing Moon for its moon-like appearance, he grafted a small number of the trees here and we are happy to introduce the variety in 2024!

Why We Grow It: Waxing Moon produces an exceptionally pale yellow apple that is nearly white! While one would think it is a Yellow Transparent apple, its mild sweet flavour lacks any of the tartness. Like Yellow Transparent, this variety is good for fresh eating and sauce. It appears to be relatively disease resistant, having produced clean fruit with no care whatsoever.  

Since this is a new variety, there is still a lot for us to learn about it! If you grow this variety and have any observations or find any fun uses for the fruit, we'd love to hear from you!

The Fence Line Budget Bundle is available at a discounted price for fall pickup/shipping until Nov. 21st. It can also be pre-ordered for the spring at full price. Please select which option you prefer below!

Our Fence Line Budget Bundle is the perfect option for those looking to plant a large number of fruit trees on a budget! The bundle contains a random mix of twenty of our 50-80cm grade fruit trees. It will primarily consist of apple trees, but you may also receive pear trees and/or stone fruit trees depending on what we have available. 

This bundle is great for planting along fence lines, for feeding wildlife, and/or adding some diversity to your orchard! 

A few things to note about the Fence Line Budget Bundle:

• Most, if not all, trees in the bundle will be apple trees
• Trees will be a mix of dwarf, semi-dwarf, and/or full-size
• These trees will all be B-Grade (could have minor damage but may not)
• Most trees will be labelled but some may be missing labels
• Trees in this bundle are not covered under our 90 day guarantee
• We do not accept requests for what kinds of trees you will receive

History: Arkansas Black originated, as its name implies, in Arkansas sometime in the mid to late 1800s although there are conflicting opinions on who exactly discovered it. Some say John Crawford developed it in the 1840s, others believe DeKalb Holt developed it at his brother's nursery in the 1870s, and another account claims John Braithwaite found it growing in his orchard. Regardless, this unique looking apple eventually became the most popular apple in the state until a bad codling moth infestation followed by the Great Depression devastated commercial orchards. Despite this heavy blow, it is still a popular apple in backyards and small-scale orchards.

Why We Grow It: Arkansas Black produces a unique fruit that is a dark purplish-red that at times almost looks black. Fresh off the tree the fruit is hard and fairly acidic, but it softens and sweetens in storage and develops a more pronounced spiced flavour. It is good for pies, sauce, and cider and the fruit stores quite well! The tree itself is fairly disease resistant as well.

History: Goodland was developed at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba as part of an effort to breed cold hardy apples for the prairies. It is a seedling of Patten Greening that was selected in 1925 and the variety was introduced commercially in 1955.

Why We Grow It: The cold hardy Goodland produces a medium to large yellow apple with red striping. This crisp, juicy apple has sweet/tart flavour that is great for fresh eating, cooking, and sauce. Unlike most early ripening varieties, Goodland will store well for several months. 

History: Granny Smith was discovered by Maria Ann "Granny" Smith as a chance seedling on her and her husband's farm in Australia in 1868. Having grown from apple seeds she had tossed, she found it to be an exceptional apple. She propagated it and brought the apples to market, earning the variety local popularity. She passed away two years later but local growers kept the variety going until it was noticed by the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in 1895. Thanks to its excellent shelf life, it became an important agricultural export and remains one of the most popular apple varieties in the world today. There has been an annual Granny Smith Festival in Eastwood since 1985 to commemorate Maria Ann Smith and her apple that attracts over 80k attendees each year.

Why We Grow It: This classic green apple barely needs an introduction! It is well known for its sweet and sharp flavour that is a delight for fresh eating and for its usage in cooking and baking. As an added bonus, Granny Smith also keeps well in storage and tends to start producing fruit at a young age.

History: Karneval (translated from Czech as 'Carnival') was developed at the Institute of Experimental Botany in Prague in the Czech Republic by Dr. Jaroslav Tupý. It is a cross between Vanda and Cripps Pink. It was released in 2011 and like many other modern apples, boasts a sweeter flavour and good disease resistance. However, the main reason this apple was likely selected and given its fun name was for the bright red striped that adorn it. 

Why We Grow It: Karneval is medium sized apple that is sweet, juicy and just a little tart and aromatic. However, this apple is best known for its unique appearance: yellow skin with distinct red stripes that would make it feel at home at the circus. Great flavour, striking visual appeal, good storage capabilities, and good disease resistance make this apple an excellent choice for any grower.

History: Mother was first officially introduced to the world in an 1844 edition of the "Magazine of Horticulture." We know it came from General Stephen Gardner's farm in Massachusetts in the US but do not know any other details about its origins. It faded from popularity in the US during the 1900s but remained popular in the UK.

Why We Grow It: Mother produces medium-sized apples with yellow skin that turn deep red where exposed to the sun. This crisp, juicy apple is sweet with hints of pear and vanilla making it an excellent choice for fresh eating. It is also a popular option for baking pies! The fruit stores well, the blooms are tolerant of late spring frosts, and the tree tends to start producing at a young age. It is also susceptible to several common apple diseases, but we believe its other qualities outshine that fact.

History: Woolbrook Pippin originated in 1903 at Woolbrook Nursery in the UK. It was discovered by J.H. Stevens and Son. It is a Cox's Orange Pippin seedling and received an Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1929.

Why We Grow It: Woolbrook Pippin produces a greenish apple overlaid with bright red stripes that is excellent for fresh eating. The fruit is firm, crisp, and juicy with a sweet, aromatic flavour balanced by a bit of tartness. This is a great choice for fans of Cox's Orange Pippin!

History: Fresco, also known by the brand name Wellant®, was developed through a fruit breeding collaboration between Inova Fruit and the Applied Plant Research at the Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands. The goal was to create an apple variety that better aligned with changing consumer tastes. It was bred in the late 1900s and named Fresco during the years it underwent various tests before being released in 2004 under the brand name Wellant®. It is primarily grown and sold in Europe.   

Why We Grow It: Fresco produces a large, deep red fruit that is crunchy with a strong flavour high in both sweetness and tartness. It is excellent for fresh eating and can be used in baking and cooking as well. An excellent multi-purpose apple!

History: Alkmene, aka Early Windsor, was developed by M. Schmidt and H. Murawski at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Züchtungsforschung in Müncheberg, Germany in the 1930s.* It was named after Hercules' mother Alcmene. After the chaos of WW2, it took about 30 years for Alkmene to be introduced to the rest of the world. It was released in 1962 and given the name Early Windsor for better marketability. It remains a popular apple in Europe today.

Why We Grow It: Alkmene produces a medium-sized crisp, juicy apple that has yellow skin overlaid with red stripes. The aromatic fruit is known for its rich flavour that is both honeyed and notably sharp. The tree is known to be quite a heavy cropper! 

*While the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute was heavily involved with the Nazis during WW2, at the time of Alkmene's development the institute's president was Max Planck, a scientist who staunchly defended his Jewish colleagues. The institute was renamed in his honour following WW2. That is to say, we're not selling a Nazi apple.