Apple (Malus) Red Windsor® MM106

A sport of 'Alkmene' also known as 'Red Alkmene', 'Red Windsor' holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is prized for its naturally reliable, disease-resistant nature. Grafted onto the semi-vigorous MM106 rootstock, it makes a robust, well-anchored tree reaching around 4m in height and spread — larger than its more usual compact form, and better suited to a bigger garden or espalier training.

Blossom with some useful frost resistance appears in March and April, followed by deep red fruit ready to eat from mid-September. The crisp, juicy flesh has a lovely aromatic, well-balanced sweet-sharp flavour, and the fruit keeps for up to a month. It's a reliable, quick-fruiting variety — you could see your first apples within a year of planting.

'Red Windsor' is partially self-fertile and will crop well alone, though it fruits even better with a pollination partner in the same period (Group 2) or an adjacent group (1 or 3). It has good resistance to many common diseases, including strong scab resistance, making it a particularly good choice for humid, western parts of the country. MM106 tolerates a wide range of soils and generally doesn't need permanent staking once established, though it takes a little longer to come into fruit than more dwarfing rootstocks — usually 4–5 years.

Plant in full sun in moist, well-drained soil, and prune each winter to maintain an open, productive shape. 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.