Apple (Malus) James Grieve Cordon M9

An early-season classic and RHS Award of Garden Merit holder, 'James Grieve' is loved for its reliable, heavy crops and versatile fruit — sharp enough for cooking when picked early, mellowing to a sweet, juicy eating apple if left a little longer. Trained as a cordon on the dwarfing M9 rootstock, it's grown as a single stem at a 45-degree angle, making it an excellent way to fit several different apple varieties into a small space.

Pink blossom with useful frost resistance appears in May, followed by yellow-green fruit speckled and striped with orange-red. The flesh is crisp to melting, with a delicate, juicy flavour, and cooks down while keeping its shape. Harvest from September, with a season of use running into October and a little beyond — though the fruit does bruise easily, so it's best handled with care.

'James Grieve' is partially self-fertile and will produce fruit alone, though yields improve significantly with a pollination partner in the same period (Group 3) or an adjacent group (2 or 4) — worth bearing in mind if you're planting a single cordon rather than a mixed row. Cordons are typically spaced around 75cm–1m apart against a wire support system and need summer pruning to maintain their narrow shape. On M9, trees will need permanent staking or wire support throughout their life, but reward you with an early, compact cropper.

Plant in full sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil. As with all apple varieties, the pips contain small amounts of naturally occurring toxins, so they're best removed if the fruit is being used for cooking with children in mind.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch. Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.