Christmas Pippin® apple trees
- Picking season: Late
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
- Awards: RHS AGM (current) 2014
Christmas Pippin is a new Cox-style apple variety introduced in 2011. Unusually for a modern apple variety, it is a genuine "pippin" apple, raised from seed and of unknown parentage.
Christmas Pippin is a very "more-ish" apple, with a definite apple flavour, juicy melting flesh and a thin skin - and it tastes exactly like an apple should. The flavour is essentially sweet, but with some sharpness too. It is bound to be popular with fans of Cox's Orange Pippin or similar varieties - and it is much easier to grow.
Christmas Pippin 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 11.5L pot-grown tree M27 rootstock£63.00
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Very small tree
(< 1.7m after 10 years)
PG2Premium cordon 12L pot-grown tree M9 rootstock£61.00
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
PG32-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree M26 rootstock£57.75
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
PG42-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock£57.75
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
PG5Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock£63.00
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root treeM9 rootstock£38.95
Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
BR22-year bush-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£45.25
Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
BR3Cordon-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£46.75
Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
BR41-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£35.75
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR52-year bush-trained bare-root treeM26 rootstock£43.75
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR61-year bare-root treeM116 rootstock£34.95
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR71-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£35.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR82-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£43.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR92-year bush-trained bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£46.00
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR102-year half-standard bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£46.50
Large tree
(3m-5m 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
Christmas Pippin is easy to grow, with better yields than Cox's Orange Pippin. It can be pollinated by most other apple varieties.
Recommended pollinators for Christmas Pippin apple trees
Christmas Pippin is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit.
The following varieties are good pollinators for Christmas Pippin.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
More pollinators >
ButterballMalus Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly.
EveresteEvereste is one of the most well-known crab-apples, featuring white blossom and red-yellow fruits.
FiestaFiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
GorgeousMalus Gorgeous has pink/white blossom and spherical cherry-like red fruits which are good for jelly.
GreensleevesGreensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
KatyKaty is an attractive and versatile early apple variety from Sweden, very easy to grow.
Red DevilRed Devil is a good apple variety for the UK garden, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
Red FalstaffRed Falstaff is one of the best garden apple trees, heavy crops, easy to grow, and very juicy.
History
Christmas Pippin is a modern variety, first introduced in 2011, so you might expect it to be the result of a major university-led apple breeding programme. In fact the original tree was discovered growing beside a road near an orchard in Somerset, so it is a genuine seedling or "pippin" variety, perhaps from a motorist's discarded apple core. The parentage is unknown, but there is clearly an influence from Cox's Orange Pippin in its ancestry. The leaf shape has some resemblance to Gala (which itself is distantly related to Cox's Orange Pippin).
Christmas Pippin characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climates
- Picking seasonLate
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
- Food usesEating fresh
- Disease resistanceAverage
- CankerSome resistance
- Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin2000
- Fruit colourOrange flush
- AwardsRHS AGM (current)
British-grown trees 
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 while 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
Towards the end of September and into October we see late-season apple varieties beginning to ripen. Their longer ripening period typically means these varieties have the most interesting flavours.
Unlike mid and early season apples which are generally best eaten straight from the tree, many late-season varieties need to be stored in a fridge for a few weeks to mature before their flavours are at their peak. So if you want to be able to eat home-grown apples through the winter then late-season varieties are your best choice.
Some of the most famous English apple varieties fall into this category - including the classic Adams Pearmain, and the ancient Ashmead's Kernel with its peardrop flavours. We also find popular modern varieties such as Spartan, Red Falstaff, Fiesta, and Kidd's Orange Red all coming to perfection at this time of year.
