Apple (Malus) Bardsey — Bush, 12L Container, M26

Once hailed as the rarest apple tree in the world, Bardsey comes from a single gnarled old tree found growing against a house on Bardsey Island, the windswept pilgrims' isle off the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, in the late 1990s. It may be all that survives of the island's ancient monastic orchard. The medium-sized fruits are pink-flushed over cream, with crisp, juicy flesh, a refreshing sweet-sharp flavour and a remarkable lemon scent. Ready to pick in late September, they're delicious fresh, juice well and cook down to a sweet purée. Hardy, disease-resistant and at home in mild, damp and coastal conditions, it also carries lovely pale-pink blossom in spring.

Grown as a bush on semi-dwarfing M26 rootstock, it makes a compact tree of around 2.5–3m, ideal for smaller gardens and quick to come into fruit. Plant in a sunny spot in well-drained soil and provide a permanent stake for support. Bardsey is self-sterile and in pollination group B, so it needs a suitable partner from groups A, B or C nearby to crop.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.