Discovery apple trees

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• Picking season: Early
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3
• Awards: RHS AGM (current)

Discovery is probably the most well-known early English apple variety, ripening in late August. It is very easy to grow, and has excellent natural disease resistance.

Discovery is grown commercially on a small scale in the UK, but it has a very short shelf-life, and shop-bought apples can be disappointing if not picked at exactly the right time. For this reason Discovery is definitely a variety that is better grown in the garden, and preferably eaten straight from the tree - although it will keep in a fridge for a week if necessary.

In some years there is a hint of strawberry flavour, which adds to the summery appeal.

Discovery also excels as a variety for juicing, as it produces a very well-balanced sweet/sharp juice

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Discovery 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.

• PG1Premium cordon 12L pot-grown tree M9 rootstock£60.50< 5 in stock
  Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

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• PG22-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)
  

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• PG32-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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• PG4Premium 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)
  

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• BR2Spindlebush bare-root treeM9 rootstock£44.00
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR32-year bush-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£44.75
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR4Cordon-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£46.25
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR51-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£34.95
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• BR62-year bush-trained bare-root treeM26 rootstock£43.00
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• BR72-year bare-root treeM116 rootstock£43.00
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• BR81-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£34.95
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR92-year bush-trained bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£43.00
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR102-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£45.25
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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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

Discovery is very easy to grow. Being an early-season apple, it can ripen in a short growing season and is therefore a good choice for northern areas. It is a reliable cropper even as far north as Caithness.

It is also good choice for growers in areas of high rainfall. Although a very "English" apple, Discovery is known to be very cold-hardy, and able to tolerate temperatures much lower than those usually found in the UK.

A characteristic of Discovery is that the tree will often drop quite a lot of apples near maturity. It's best to wait a bit longer if you can, rather than taking this as a cue to start picking.

Discovery is also one of the best varieties for organic growers or gardeners who do not want to spray their trees - it has excellent natural disease resistance. The apples are invariably clean with a good finish.

History

Discovery is a seedling of another popular English early apple, Worcester Pearmain, found in Essex, UK, in 1949.

Discovery characteristics

Similar varieties

• 
  Rosette
  A pink-fleshed form of Discovery.

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

Early-season eating apples typically ripen in the period from late July to late August. They only keep for a few days, and should be eaten quickly to enjoy their fresh summery flavours. Many of them are also very good for juicing - freshly-pressed summer apple juice is a real treat.

Beauty of Bath is usually the earliest-ripening of the English summer apples. Discovery and Worcester Pearmain are next to ripen and are perhaps the best-known early varieties. Both are easy to grow and productive. Katy, from Sweden, ripens a bit later, and is one of the most foolproof of all apple varieties. Scrumptious is a modern English variety and has the advantage of being reliably self-fertile.