James Grieve apple trees

  • Pick: Mid-season
  • Flowering group: 3
  • Uses: Eat fresh | Cookery | Juicing | Cider 
  • Pollination partners
RHS AGM for James Grieve

James Grieve is a justifiably popular dual-purpose apple variety, raised in Scotland at the end of the 19th century, the height of the Victorian period of apple development in the UK. It is a very juicy apple, producing plenty of sharp-tasting apple juice.

James Grieve is a mid-season variety that is picked in early-mid September. At this stage it is pleasantly acidic and refreshing and if it is too sharp for eating it can be used for cooking (cut it into small chunks, it keeps its shape when cooked). After a few weeks the flavour sweetens and becomes quite mild, and it is then an excellent apple to eat in slices along with a cheese course. The flesh is soft, somewhat like a firm pear in texture.

James Grieve is an excellent pollinator for many other apple varieties.

James Grieve apple trees for sale

Order now for delivery in September (pot-grown) or December (bare-root).

Mature size* Supplied as Price Quantity

Pot-grown fruit trees
Very small  (1.5m after 5-10 years) 2-year patio-tree - 11.5l pot - M27 rootstock £30.95
Very small  (1.5m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - 12l pot - M27 rootstock £30.95
Small  (1.8m - 2.5m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - 12l pot - M9 rootstock £29.95
Medium  (2.2m - 3m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - 12l pot - M26 rootstock £29.95
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - 12l pot - MM106 rootstock £29.95
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) Half-standard premium - 12l pot - MM106 rootstock £34.95

Bare-root fruit trees
Small  (1.8m - 2.5m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - bare-root - M9 rootstock £26.45
Medium  (2.2m - 3m after 5-10 years) 1-year - bare-root - M26 rootstock £17.45
Medium  (2.2m - 3m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - bare-root - M26 rootstock £26.45
Large  (2.5m - 3.5m after 5-10 years) 1-year - bare-root - M116 rootstock £18.95
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) 1-year - bare-root - MM106 rootstock £17.45
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) 2-year bush-trained - bare-root - MM106 rootstock £26.45
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) Half-standard - bare-root - MM106 rootstock £27.95
Full size  (5m+ after 5-10 years) Standard 1.75m - bare-root - M25 rootstock £27.95
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) 1-year - bare-root - own-roots £21.00 Sold outalert me

Pot-grown cordon fruit trees
Small  (1.8m - 2.5m after 5-10 years) Cordon premium - 12l pot - M9 rootstock £31.45

Bare-root cordon fruit trees
Small  (1.8m - 2.5m after 5-10 years) Cordon - bare-root - M9 rootstock £24.95

Trained fruit trees - pot-grown
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) Fan -12l pot - MM106 rootstock £54.95 Enquire
Large  (3m - 4m after 5-10 years) Espalier 2-tier -12l pot - MM106 rootstock £54.95 Enquire

Delivery period: Pot-grown trees can be delivered from September onwards. Bare-root trees can be delivered from mid-November onwards. Within those periods you can specify your preferred month of delivery during the checkout process. It is best to order as soon as you can to ensure items are reserved for you.

*Mature size: Height shown is the approximate height of the tree when mature (after 5-10 years), not the height when supplied. See photos of trees as supplied. Actual mature heights may vary considerably dependent on your local conditions and training and pruning regime.

Stock availability: Items showing as 'sold out' will probably be available again next season. Click here to be notified when we get more trees of this variety.

Summary features of James Grieve

Growing

  • Gardening skill: Suitable for beginners?
  • Cropping: Good
  • Fertility: Partially self-fertile?
  • Flowering group: 3?
  • Pollinating others: Good
    James Grieve produces large amounts of pollen, which is also viable at low temperatures.?
  • Ploidy: Diploid?
  • Vigour: Average growth?
  • Precocity: Precocious?
  • Bearing regularity: Regular?
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer?
  • Fruit persistence: Fruit drops when ripe?
  • Overall disease resistance: Average?
  • Canker: Some resistance?
  • Scab: Some susceptibility?
  • Fireblight: Some susceptibility?

Uses

  • Picking season: Mid?
  • Use / keeping: 1-2 months?
  • Flavour quality: Average?
  • Flavour style: Sharper
  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for cooking
  • Good for juice
  • Good for cider
  • Cooking result: Keeps shape
  • Drying / Discoloring: No discolor / Good for drying?

Identification

  • Country of origin: United Kingdom
  • Period of origin: 1850 - 1899
  • Fruit colour: Orange flush
  • Blossom colour: White
  • Leaf colour: Green
  • RHS AGM: RHS AGM
  • Popularity: Best sellers?

Climate

  • Frost resistance: Good resistance?
  • Frost resistance: Some resistance?
  • Temperate climates
  • Tolerates cold winters
    Blossom is frost-resistant
  • UK Zone 1 - N.W. Scotland: Yes
    may suffer from scab in wetter areas
  • UK Zone 2 - Northern UK: Yes
  • Cold hardiness: -20F / -29C?
  • Planting position: Tolerates partial shade

Pollination guide for James Grieve

James Grieve is in flowering group 3. James Grieve is partially self-fertile, but fruiting will be improved if there is a compatible tree of a different variety nearby. Since it flowers in the middle of the blossom season it can be pollinated by most other apple trees.

How to grow James Grieve apple trees

James Grieve is well-suited to the UK climate but does better in drier areas. In Scotland it does better on the east than the west. It is prone to premature fruit drop if grown in climates that are warmer than southern England.

James Grieve is a very useful pollinator of many other apple varieties. Not only does it produce far more pollen than most other apples, but the pollen is viable at lower temperatures than is usually the case (down to around 10C as opposed to the 15C-20C range which is most desirable for apple pollination).

Historical details

Edinburgh, Scotland 1893, probably descended from an old Scottish culinary variety Pott's Seedling.

Botanical name

Malus domestica 'James Grieve'


UK-grown trees All our trees are grown in the UK.