Cox's Orange Pippin apple trees

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• Picking season: Mid Later mid-season
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3

Often regarded as the finest of all apples, Cox's Orange Pippin sets the benchmark for flavour to which all others aspire. The aromatic complexity and depth of flavours are remarkable. In our personal experience pear, melon, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and mango are all readily evident in a good example.

Cox's Orange Pippin is a mid/late season variety, at its best if picked when fully ripe, or picked slightly under-ripe and left in storage for a month or so - it is not a long-keeper though.

Although primarily considered a variety for eating fresh, Cox is an excellent apple for juice / cider blends as well. It is also a versatile culinary apple, with an inherently sweet flavour when baked, and is a common ingredient in English apple preserves, chutneys, and mincemeat.

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Cox's Orange 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£60.50
  Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
  Very small tree (< 1.7m after 10 years)
  

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• PG2Premium cordon 12L pot-grown tree M9 rootstock£60.50
  Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

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• PG32-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree M26 rootstock£56.50< 5 in stock
  Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• PG42-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)
  

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• PG5Premium 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)
  

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Bare-root

• BR11-year bare-root treeM9 rootstock£38.25
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR2Cordon-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£46.25
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR32-year bush-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£44.75
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR41-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£35.75
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR52-year bush-trained bare-root treeM26 rootstock£43.00
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR61-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£34.95
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR72-year bush-trained bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£43.00
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR82-year half-standard bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£46.50
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR91-year bare-root treeM25 rootstock£35.75
  Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Please try next season
• BR102-year (1.75m) bare-root treeM25 rootstock£46.95
  Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
  (Not self fertile)

  Out of stock
  Please try next season

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

Cox's Orange Pippin generally performs better in the drier parts of the UK - the South-east, East Midlands, East Yorkshire and as far north as Edinburgh. It has a reputation for being a bit fussy to grow, but in practice if you are in an area with low rainfall and reasonable sunshine hours you should be successful.

A specific issue with Cox is "Cox spot", a rust-like physiological disorder inherent to this variety, which can be mild or non-existent in some seasons and quite severe (causing early leaf fall) in others. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment, but fortunately although it is unsightly it does not seem to affect the fruit.

Growers in wetter areas might want to consider Fiesta or Sunset, which are closely related and have similar flavour but tolerate higher rainfall much better.

Cox's Orange Pippin is somewhat unusual because it is available in both self-fertile and self-sterile forms - most of ours are the self-fertile form. In general we recommend that you try to have a nearby pollination partner as this will improve cropping.

History

Cox's Orange Pippin was raised by Richard Cox, in Buckinghamshire, England, in the early 19th century.

Until very recently it was almost universally believed that Cox was a seedling of Ribston Pippin, although some observers noted the similarity with another old variety, Margil. In 2022 Reading University published DNA evidence confirming that the parentage of Cox's Orange Pippin was Margil x Rosemary Russet. Margil was also found to be the parent of Ribston Pippin.

Over time it became apparent that some Cox trees had a good degree of self-fertility but it was not until the 1970s that a standardised self-fertile form was established by the Long Ashton research station near Bristol. This is now the recommended form for gardeners.

Almost since it was first discovered, Cox's Orange Pippin has featured in the development of new apple varieties, as breeders sought to marry its excellent aromatic flavours with other varieties which might be heavier cropping or have more versatile climate characteristics.

Cox's Orange Pippin characteristics

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 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

For apples the mid-season period usually starts in early September and finishes later in September when the late-season varieties start arriving.

Mid-season apples are best eaten straight from the tree. However unlike early-season apples, they will usually keep fresh for a couple of weeks in a fridge. On the other hand, just like early apples, mid-season apples ripen quite quickly so be sure to keep a close watch on them in early September and see if they are ready to pick.

Another thing you notice with mid-season apples is they still have that fresh zing you get with the early varieties, but the flavours are now more nuanced and interesting.

Some really good apple varieties fall into this category - including Red Windsor, Red Devil, and Lord Lambourne. These are un-fussy apples with good flavours, ideal for taking to work for a mid-morning snack.

And the famous Cox's Orange Pippin also just about falls into this category.