Apple (Malus) Bramley 20 — Cordon, 12L Container, M9

Bramley is Britain's favourite cooking apple, and this cordon-trained Bramley 20 brings it within reach of even a narrow garden. Developed in Bristol in the 1970s as a compact clone of the classic Bramley's Seedling, it is around 20% less vigorous than its parent yet produces heavier crops. The large, flattish green apples are often flushed red or orange on the sunny side, and their sharp, greenish-white flesh cooks down to a rich, cream-coloured purée, perfect for crumbles, sauces and traditional apple pie. Pick the fruit in mid-October, and stored somewhere cool it will keep until March.

This tree is trained to a single stem with short fruiting side-shoots and grafted onto the dwarfing M9 rootstock. It is usually kept to around 1.8–2m tall and can be planted as close as 75cm apart against a fence, wall or row of support wires. Grow it in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil, and keep it permanently supported, as M9 has a shallow root system. Water well during dry spells, especially while the fruit is swelling.

Bramley 20 is a partial tip-bearer, carrying some of its fruit at the ends of the previous year's shoots as well as on spurs, so it needs a slightly lighter touch when pruning. Summer prune from late July, shortening the longer new side-shoots to encourage spurs, but leave some of the shorter shoots of around 20cm or less unpruned, as these often carry next year's fruit buds at their tips. Growing the cordon at a 45-degree angle, known as an oblique cordon, also helps keep its natural vigour in check.

Bramley 20 is a triploid, which means it cannot pollinate itself or other apples. For a good crop it needs two other compatible apple trees nearby that can also pollinate each other, such as Discovery and James Grieve. In most built-up areas neighbouring gardens often provide this.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.