Blenheim Orange Apple Bareroot

Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

Blenheim Orange Apple Bareroot

History: The history of Blenheim Orange is a bit muddled depending on your source. We know it was discovered by George Kempster (either a baker, a tailor, or a basket weaver depending on who you ask!) in England in 1740 and it was originally named Kempster's Pippin. Some say he found it as a seedling growing along a wall of Blenheim Palace while others claim he grew it in his garden located near Blenheim, England. It was later renamed to Blenheim Orange in the early 1800s, likely when it was sold commercially through nurseries. This variety has many other names, including: Beauty of Dumbleton, Blooming Orange, and Northwitch Blenheim. The tree itself is also known for its sturdy wood and it was at one time popularly used to make railway cogs.

Why We Grow It: These large, somewhat flat apples feature orangey-red stripes over yellow skin with some russet. The fruit is good for fresh eating with a nutty taste and is quite nice when paired with cheese. It is also great for cooking and makes a stiff purée. The tree is highly vigorous but can be slow to come into production, although it has heavy crops once it does.

$56.50

Rootstock: EMLA 106 Semi-Dwarf Bareroot

Size 1m+ grade 50-80cm grade

20 in stock

Quantity

Fruit Traits:

Recommended Use: Cooking, fresh eating, cider

Fruit Size: Large

Storage: Keeps until January when stored in cool, humid conditions

Harvest: September - Late

Cider Class (if applicable):

Sharp

Class: Sharp
Sugar: Medium, 1.055 SG
Acidity: High, 8.9 TA g/L
Tannins: Low, 1.2 g/L
Taste: Very acidic but also fruity, some astringency
Recommendations: Adds a nice balance of sugar and acidity to blends, single-variety cider can be a bit too tart for some
*Information based on Brix Cider

Tree Traits:

Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5

Soil Preferance: Sandy loam, loam, clay loam. Prefers average to moist conditions, avoid planting anywhere that floods for more than two weeks in the spring. Generally quite adaptable to different soil conditions.

Flowering Time: Middle

Bloom Colour: White

Pollination Requirements: Triploid. This variety is sterile and cannot pollinate other trees. Requires a pollinator of a different apple variety that blooms around the same time in order to produce fruit.

Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

General Growth Habit: Highly vigorous, can be slow to come into full fruit production, heavy crops but tends to bear fruit every other year, partially tip-bearing. Susceptible to scab but resistant to brown rot.

Overall Disease Resistance Rating*: Medium

*this rating is combined with our experience growing in our test orchards combined with already available information on the cultivar.

Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of plants across Canada. We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc.

We have simplified our crop inventory for grafted fruit trees into two sizes:

1m+ Grade: this often has some feathering, and is measured including the rootstock.

50-80cm Grade: this is like a 'b-grade' tree, sometimes with minor scaring or bent, these trees are priced accordingly.

Blenheim Orange Apple Bareroot

$56.50

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