Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Suitable Apple For South Wales

Uncle MortUncle Mort Posts: 77
in Fruit & veg
Hi everyone

I am looking for suggestions for a desert apple that will grow well in South Wales. Friends have purchased a house in Brynmawr near Abergavenny and wish to plant an apple tree in the back garden.

They want a dwarf root stock as the do not it to grow much higher than 6 to 8 feet, both are not experienced gardeners when it comes to fruit tree cultivation, so a variety that is pretty trouble free is a priority.

Does anyone have any ideas which varieties may grow well in that area of the country.

Many Thanks

Mort

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Have a look at Red Falstaff which is self-fertile and the blossom still sets fruit if it gets a mild frost.  It is a heavy cropper with large apples of excellent flavour and is easy to grow.  The only problem you may have with it is that you must thin the fruit or it will easily produce enough apples to break branches under the weight (speaks the voice of experience!)
    There are lots of suppliers and grafted/pre-trained forms, including miniature (often M27 rootstock), dwarf (M9) and 'supercolumns' which would be suitable.  The orange pippin and chris bowers websites have excellent info. and lots of choice of rootstocks.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I'm just down the road from Brynmawr and apples are a tricky one to grow up here. We have a short growing season, late frosts and a damp atmosphere. You need a late blossom to avoid the frosts or a frost hardy blossom. You also need a canker resistant variety and good soil prep to avoid the damp causing problems and you need a variety that ripens early preferably. I've had some success with Katy but it's very hit and miss. When it succeeds though it's a lovely apple. There are a few trees growing wild up here in various places so they do grow if you've got a sheltered enough spot.
    There's a company called Welsh Mountain Orchards though who specialise in producing apple trees that suit this part of the country so I'd have a look at their website for suggestions. Otherwise the Abergavenny garden centre in Llanfoist usually has a good selection of apple trees and might be able to offer suggestions. I've bought quite a few from there and they've all been nice healthy trees.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    There's an Exmoor apple called 'Oaken Pin' that might be suitable. It's not a heavy cropper but it's naturally small, the fruit is very tasty (closest commercial type would be a Cox) and it seems to cope with late frosts and a lot of rain. 

    Better still if you can find a heritage variety from the specific locality though.

    I asked the RHS chappy at Rosemoor for his advice re root stock for apples in difficult sites - he said to go for a root stock that is theoretically going to produce a bigger tree than you want. Dwarfing root stock essentially weakens the tree. If the environment is already challenging, weakening the tree further by putting it on a very constricting root stock may mean it simply won't survive at all.

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Uncle MortUncle Mort Posts: 77
    Thankyou to everyone for your suggestions and help.  I was considering Red Falstaff but as I can now see there are other options.  I will get in touch with Welsh Mountain Orchards and ask their advice on a variety that will be happy growing in that location.  I will also check on St Cecilia as it appears to have originally come from that area of the country.

    I will have a chat with my friends and advise on a larger rootstock. I thought a dwarf may be an issue as I know they tend to need fertile soil and good growing conditions.  As it will more than likely be me choosing and planting the tree for them I want to get it right.


  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    You might also like to check out Ian Sturrock of Bangor who supplies Welsh heritage varieties.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    josusa47 said:
    You might also like to check out Ian Sturrock of Bangor who supplies Welsh heritage varieties.

    I've been meaning to get one of these for a while now.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    wild edges said:
    josusa47 said:
    You might also like to check out Ian Sturrock of Bangor who supplies Welsh heritage varieties.

    I've been meaning to get one of these for a while now.

    I planted a Goose's Arse from Ian S., a one year maiden, planted in autumn and to my amazement it flowered in its first spring, and set 9 fruits.  That's more than my Egremont Russet managed in five years.  
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    edited December 2019
    I had my first russet apple this year 5 years after planting it. I've got a Tom Putt though that destroyed itself under the weight of fruit this year. It was a strong tree but split into pieces as all the larger branches ripped away from the trunk.  :/   What's a goose's arse like for flavour btw?
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    wild edges said:
    I had my first russet apple this year 5 years after planting it. I've got a Tom Putt though that destroyed itself under the weight of fruit this year. It was a strong tree but split into pieces as all the larger branches ripped away from the trunk.  :/   What's a goose's arse like for flavour btw?
    Haven't found out yet, it's still too young for cropping.  It's a cooker, and the supplier says that the name reflects the shape of the fruit not the flavour.
Sign In or Register to comment.