Crab apple variety

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Crab apple variety

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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 6:42 pm Post subject: Crab apple variety

Can anyone recommend a good crab apple variety that's a very good pollinator and produces a good crop of usable fruit?

You tend to see them rated for good coloured or long lasting fruit rather than by usefulness. I'm after a personal recommendation, I'll cruise google and the RHS as well before ordering.

And on the subject of apples, does anyone know how well an apple rootstock will flower and fruit? I've got quite a few growing now and I'm tempted to leave one of each to reach maturity.

LynneA

Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 6:43 pm Post subject:
John Downie always used to be the standard recommendation - lots of blossom and useable sized fruit.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 7:00 pm Post subject:
I do however find that John Downie does not stand well on the tree and drop with the first bit of wind. Decent sized fruits though.

tai haku

Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 472

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 8:00 pm Post subject:

As Lynne says John Downie is the default option - the IBM of crab apples if you will.

I'm trying a variety called Jelly King which looks amazing and is supposed to be good. Can't comment on its cullinary usage yet as it hasn't cropped yet but all the reviews rate it for jelly.

Golden Hornet crops very well and I've tasted perfectly acceptable jelly made from it.

If anyone is feeling experimental and wants to play with grafting I can hook them up with scions of this seedling variety from dad's plantings. We call it "Gordon's Gold" after the source - it's a seedling of golden hornet with a bit of proper apple genetics in there somewhere we think. Decent fruit set every year, good flowering and crabs nice enough that my dad eats them off the tree.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 8:05 pm Post subject:
Another vote for Golden Hornet. Good cropping from quite young, and makes fine jelly.

tai haku

Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 472

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 8:16 pm Post subject:
Almost forgot - one other I'd recommend is Malus hupehensis. Ridiculously abundant flowers followed by amazingly heavy crops of bright red fruit. I don't know how good a pollinator it is being a different species. I suspect it's more than good in that role too but don't know for sure.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 11:44 pm Post subject:

I have had Golden Hornet twice, at allotment and in a past garden - both times produced lots of fruit and fine for cooking and looks nice.

I had been wondering about getting John Downie or Harry Baker this time around, as being supposed to be good for cooking.

But then I was out in a local community garden the other day and was reminded how pretty Golden Hornet is. There was a tree side by side with a red-fruited one, perhaps John Downie and they looked stunning.

So now I want both! But haven't got room really.

I note when looking via Google that Golden Hornet is mentioned as having fruit that lasts a long time on the tree - which is definitely the case in my experience. So you can use some and leave some for the birds or just to look at.

Think they are generally all supposed to be good pollinators.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16095

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 13 8:11 am Post subject:

We have both a Golden Hornet and a John Downie, but the John Downie is neither so prolific as the Golden Hornet or so reliable, but they are in a shady part of the garden.

Blackmoor, which is where Lord Selbourne, an authority on apples, has his orchards has Golden Hornet planted at the corner of each plot for pollination, as it is a good reliable pollinator.

I usually make crab apple jelly from Golden Hornet, and it is good.

tai haku

Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 472

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 13 11:42 am Post subject:

VM wrote:

I think one of the reasons it lasts a long time is that it's yellow. For some reason yellow fruit (be it crabs, pyracantha, sorbus or even our yellow-berried guelder rose) seems to be almost ignored by the birds when compared to a similar red variety.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 13 10:11 am Post subject:
Long lasting, critter resistant fruit sounds good, so Golden Hornet looks like a good bet thanks everyone. Any more ideas? I'll probably end up with several varieties in future years, JD might be one to have closer to our house for it's ornamental value.

Luath

Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 761

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 13 11:19 am Post subject:
One of my more useful ones in the garden is Wisley - great big crimson skinned apples, the size of a good eating apple. Last on the tree well, and prolific cropper. Flesh is blushed with pink inside, very pretty. Have used it for cider, jelly, all sorts.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8979
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 13 11:42 am Post subject:
"Gordon's Gold" looks like the crabapple up a green lane by here

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16095

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 13 6:37 pm Post subject:
Not too sure what it is like, but a variety was found in our local country park and named after one of the long time Park Rangers. Tom Mundy if anyone comes across it. John Downie is another reliable and well known variety, as we were discussing earlier in the thread.

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