Dessert or eating apples are delicious to eat fresh and raw. A wide range of shapes, sizes and rich, complex flavours. From earlies in August to lates that keep until March. This list includes some ‘dual-purpose’ apples that can be eaten either raw or cooked.
We mainly grow traditional varieties, with a focus on those which originate from Devon and South-West England.
Click here to learn about our rootstocks
Confused about which apple is right for your garden? Click here for more info
Please get in contact if you have any queries or wish to place an order
All trees are bare-root, available from December £15 each
2022/23: Please bear with us while we update our website with this year’s varieties. In the meantime, last year’s varieties are listed below to give a rough idea of some of the varieties we are growing
| In addition to the apples illustrated below, the following varieties are also available on MM106 rootstock: Bens Red Bidwell Brook Cheddar Cross Cornish Gilliflower (also on M9 Rootstock) Court Pendu Plat Duke of Cornwall (Dual Purpose) Early Blenheim (Dual Purpose) Farmer’s Glory (Dual purpose) King Byerd (Dual Purpose, also on M25 Rootstock) Leathercoat Russet Longkeeper (ONLY on M25 Rootstock) Lucombe’s Pine (also M9 Rootstock) No Pip Orleans Reinette (also M9 Rootstock) Pear Apple (also M9 Rootstock) Peter Lock (Dual Purpose) Pigs Nose Red Ruby Richard’s Cheriton Red (also M9 Rootstock) Rosemary Russet (also M9 Rootstock) Roundway Magnum Bonum (Dual Purpose) Taunton Cross Veitches Perfection (Dual Purpose) Winston (also M9 Rootstock) |
Early Apples – Ripe August
Devonshire Quarrenden
A perfect English summer apple, sweet, crisp & juicy. A lovely fruity flavour with a hint of strawberry. Raised before 1690, probably in Devon.
Available on MM106 Rootstock
Second Early Apples – Ripe Sept
Ellison’s Orange
Rich and distinctive aromatic flavour, with hints of aniseed and a vinous aroma, reflecting its Cox parentage. Hardy and productive. Raised in Lincs., before 1900.
Available on MM106 Rootstock
Mid-season Apples – Ripe Sept – Dec
Egremont Russet
A classic Victorian russet, highly regarded for its distinctive sweet nutty flavour. A versatile fruit, working well in savoury salads and arguably the best companion for cheese. Raised before 1872.
Available on MM106 Rootstock
Flanders Cox
A red sport of Cox, with many of its qualities, but is easier to grow. The apples are crisp, aromatic and juicy with a distinctive ‘Cox’ flavour. More disease resistant than ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, so can be grown happily in the West Country. Found in France, 1942
Available on MM106 Rootstock
Pitmaston Pineapple
Small russetted apple with a rich and distinctive flavour, nutty and honey sweet with a hint of pineapple. Raised in Worcs., in 1785
Available on MM106 Rootstock
Ribston Pippin
Intense, rich aromatic flavour with hint of pear drops, sharper than a Cox but with a greater depth. Yorks., 1688
Available on MM106 & M9 Rootstocks
Late Apples – Ripe Nov – April
Adam’s Pearmain
An attractive apple, with its unusual conical shape and a reddish orange flush over a golden yellow backdrop. Crisp and dry with nutty, typically russet flavour. Raised in Herefs. in 1832.
Available on M25 & M9 Rootstocks
Ashmead’s Kernel
A true connoisseur’s apple, with a strong sweet-sharp flavour, highly aromatic, firm, juicy and refreshing. A tough disease-resistant tree once widely grown commercially. Raised in Gloucs., c. 1700
Available on MM106 & M9 Rootstocks
Christmas Pearmain
Rich, mildly aromatic and full of flavour. A good balance of sweetness and brisk acidity, crisp & juicy. As the name sugests, flavour is best in late Dec to Jan. Raised in Kent in 1893
Available on M9 Rootstock
Cornish Aromatic
Sweet, aromatic, slightly spicy with nice acid bite. A good garden variety. Raised in Cornwall, before 1813
Available on MM106, M25 & M9 Rootstocks
D’Arcy Spice
Richly aromatic and sweet, with good balance of acid. In hot, dry summers develops a unique spicy flavour for which it is renowned. Raised in Essex in 1785
Available on MM106 Rootstock
About The Mother Tree
Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6EL. VAT no. 402196875
Contact Us
We are usually in Henri’s Field (opposite Schumacher College & Parsonage Farm) Thursday 2-5pm. Pop in and say hi or drop us a line to check our schedule this week.