Spring / Summer 2025Pre-order now for delivery September onwards.
Tel. 01759 392007

Blenheim Orange apple trees

Malus domestica
Blenheim Orange has received the RHS Award of Garden MeritBlenheim Orange is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3
  • Awards: RHS AGM (current) 1993

Blenheim Orange is a popular large English heritage apple variety, widely grown in gardens. It has the characteristic orange flush which is often associated with English apples. Although it can be eaten fresh, it is best considered a culinary apple, and it cooks to a stiff puree.

Blenheim Orange makes a good feature tree in a larger garden.

Blenheim Orange apple trees for sale

Pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree M26 rootstock£56.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock£56.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • PG3Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock£61.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£34.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root treeM26 rootstock£43.00
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR31-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£34.95
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR42-year bush-trained bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£43.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR52-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£43.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR62-year half-standard bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£46.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR71-year bare-root treeM25 rootstock£35.75
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
  • BR82-year (1.75m) bare-root treeM25 rootstock£46.95
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)

Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Pre-ordering

Pre-order now for delivery in September 2025

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Blenheim Orange produces a large vigorous tree, with unusually dense wood.

It is a triploid variety so will not pollinate other apple trees, but is readily pollinated by many other apple varieties.

This is slow-growing long-lived variety which takes a while to get into its stride. Victorian author Hogg, writing at the end of the 19th century noted that Blenheim Orange "... when it becomes a little aged, it bears regular and abundant crops".

Recommended pollinators for Blenheim Orange apple trees

Blenheim Orange is not self-fertile and is also a poor pollinator of other varieties. Ideally you need two other different but compatible varieties planted nearby in order to produce fruit, or one compatible self-fertile variety. The following varieties are good pollinators for Blenheim Orange. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Scrumptious
    Scrumptious
    Scrumptious is a modern award-winning early-season English dessert apple.
  • Pollinator Red Falstaff
    Red Falstaff
    Red Falstaff is one of the best garden apple trees, heavy crops, easy to grow, and very juicy.
  • Pollinator Red Devil
    Red Devil
    Red Devil is a good apple variety for the UK garden, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
  • Pollinator Fiesta
    Fiesta
    Fiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
  • Pollinator James Grieve
    James Grieve
    James Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
  • Pollinator Butterball
    Butterball
    Malus Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly.
  • Pollinator Sunset
    Sunset
    Sunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.
  • Pollinator Greensleeves
    Greensleeves
    Greensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.

History

Blenheim Orange is believed to date back to early 18th century. It was discovered at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, and named after the nearby Blenheim Palace. The parentage is unknown.


Blenheim Orange characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillExperienced
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersPoor
  • Fruit bearingPartial tip-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
  • Food usesEating freshCulinaryDual purpose

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • CankerVery resistant
  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance
  • Powdery mildewSome resistance

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1700 - 1749
  • Fruit colourOrange flush
  • AwardsRHS AGM (current)

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. Find out more

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about apple trees

There is no doubt that the famous Bramley's Seedling still rightly reigns supreme. Characterised by its copious rich juicy acidity it quickly renders to stiff puree in the kitchen, and is the benchmark for English apple cookery. However we have noticed a real resurgence in interest in the humble cooking apple in recent years, with cooks looking beyond Bramley for other qualities and textures.

Look out for cooking apples which ripen earlier than Bramley, such as Grenadier or Keswick Codlin.

Scotland also has a strong tradition of cooking apples - Galloway Pippin, Scotch Bridget, Scotch Dumpling for example. This also illustrates another useful quality of cooking apples - they can be productive even in climates where grey skies and rain are more frequent than sun and blue skies.

Many cooking apples are also great for juicing, especially if you like your apple juice to have a bit of an acidic kick.


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