Granny Smith apple trees
£34.95 - £57.50Granny Smith apple trees for sale
Choose a size - pot-grown
All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.
PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree, MM106 rootstock£57.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Choose a size - bare-root
BR11-year bare-root tree,MM106 rootstock£34.95
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Need help?
Ask our fruit tree experts on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Tree specification
Photos of trees as supplied |
Tree sizes and forms
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
All about Granny Smith apple trees
Like many of the well-known supermarket apple varieties, Granny Smith is undergoing something of a renaissance as apple enthusiasts discover that the qualities that have made it so successful as a commercial apple can also be useful in the home orchard. The flavour of home-grown examples can be more complex and interesting than the one-dimensional tart acidity of shop-bought apples, particularly if you allow the apples to ripen fully on the tree.
Granny Smith is a versatile apple, great for eating fresh of course, but also a good apple for sweet and savoury salads (since it does not go brown readily) and a good choice for apple pies - slices keep their shape when cooked. (For best cooking results, pick when slightly under-ripe).
As well as the distinctive green skin and tart flavour, Granny Smith is well known for its excellent keeping qualities. It is one of the best apples for home storage.
Growing and Training
Granny Smith will grow happily in the UK, but requires a warm summer and a sunny autumn for the apples to fully ripen. It is therefore best grown in full sun in a very sheltered south-facing spot, and is probably most suited to the south and east of the UK.
Granny Smith is generally easy to grow, but it can lapse into biennial bearing if allowed to over-crop. Cropping is usually very good but the famous bright green color is only achieved in areas of warm days and nights. In cooler climates where autumn temperatures drop overnight Granny Smith can develop an attractive red flush.
One of the unusual features of Granny Smith is that the apples tend to grow behind the foliage, on the inside rather than the outside of the tree - as can be seen in our main photo.
Granny Smith is a very good pollinator of other apple varieties, making it an excellent choice if you are establishing a small orchard in a warmer area.
Which pollinators are recommended for Granny Smith apple trees?
Granny Smith is self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit.
However you are likely to get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements just ask us.
ScrumptiousScrumptious is a modern award-winning early-season English dessert apple.
Red FalstaffRed Falstaff is one of the best garden apple trees, heavy crops, easy to grow, and very juicy.
FiestaFiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
Red DevilRed Devil is a good apple variety for the UK garden, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
ButterballMalus Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly.
SunsetSunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.
SpartanSpartan produces lots of crimson maroon apples, crunchy, sweet, easy to grow, delicate "vinous" flavour.
GorgeousMalus Gorgeous has pink/white blossom and spherical cherry-like red fruits which are good for jelly.
- More pollinators >
History
Discovered by Maria Smith, Australia, 1860s.
Granny Smith characteristics
- What level of gardening skill is needed to grow Granny Smith?Average
- Is Granny Smith self-fertile?Self-fertile
- What flowering group is Granny Smith?3
- Is Granny Smith good for pollinating others?Good
- How does Granny Smith bear fruit?Partial tip-bearer
- What climates is Granny Smith suitable for?Warm climates
- What season do you pick Granny Smith?Very late
- CroppingHeavy
- How long can you keep Granny Smith in a fridge?3 months or more
- Food usesEating freshCulinary
- What is the overall disease resistance of Granny Smith?Average
- Is Granny Smith resistant to scab?Some susceptibility
- Is Granny Smith resistant to powdery mildew?Some susceptibility
- How resistant is Granny Smith to fire blight?Some susceptibility
- Where does Granny Smith originate from?Australia
- When was Granny Smith first introduced?1850 - 1899
- What colour is the blossom of Granny Smith?Pink - light
- Fruit colourGreen
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.
All our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS.
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.
