Apple (Malus) Cox Self Fertile — Bush, 12L Container, M26

Cox's Orange Pippin is widely regarded as the finest-flavoured English apple, and Cox Self Fertile offers that same celebrated taste with one important advantage: it doesn't need a pollination partner to crop. The original Cox was raised around 1825 by Richard Cox, a retired brewer, in his garden at Colnbrook near Slough. This self-fertile form has the same medium-sized golden apples, flushed and streaked with orange-red. The creamy, aromatic flesh has a rich, complex sweetness balanced by a gentle sharpness. Pick in October and store somewhere cool, where the flavour continues to develop and the apples keep until January.

This bush tree has a short trunk and an open, branching crown. It is grafted onto the semi-dwarfing M26 rootstock and typically reaches around 2.5–3m tall at maturity. That makes it a good middle ground between a patio tree and a full-sized orchard tree, well suited to an average-sized garden.

Like its parent, Cox Self Fertile rewards a little extra care. Give it the warmest, sunniest and most sheltered spot you can, in fertile, free-draining soil that doesn't sit wet in winter. Good airflow through the crown helps keep scab, mildew and canker at bay, particularly in wetter parts of the country. M26 is less firmly anchored than more vigorous rootstocks, so stake the tree securely and keep the stake in place on exposed sites. Water well during dry spells while it establishes, and mulch in spring to keep the roots cool and moist.

Because it is self-fertile, a single tree will crop on its own, which makes it ideal where there's only room for one apple. Yields improve with another pollination group 3 apple nearby, such as Discovery or James Grieve.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.