Ballerina Samba® apple trees

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• Picking season: Late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3

One of the best-flavoured Ballerina minarette-type apple varieties.

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Ballerina Samba 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 12L pot-grown tree, MM106 rootstock£61.50
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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Choose a size - bare-root

• BR12-year bare-root tree,M116 rootstock£43.00
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR21-year bare-root tree,MM106 rootstock£34.95
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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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

Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 18th May.

Delivery charges

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

All about Ballerina Samba apple trees

Samba is a recent Ballerina-style apple, derived from Flamenco, but crossed with the popular Falstaff apple variety.

Like all Ballerina varieties, Samba grows in a compact vertical or fastigiate fashion. However it is unusual amongst Ballerina varieties in that it also produces strong side-shoots, although these extend only a short distance before turning sharply vertical.

The flavour of Samba is amongst the best of these minarette varieties for eating fresh, and the apples can also be used for a crab-apple-style jelly.

Growing and Training

Samba should reach a maximum height of about 3m / 10ft after 5 years or so - often a bit less. There is no need to stake the tree unless you have very sandy soil or a windy situation. It can also be grown in a large patio container.

After 5 years or so you can also thin out some of the fruiting spurs if they appear to be becoming congested, but try to avoid pruning (especially in winter) as pruning can spoil the columnar appearance.

When planting this variety as a 1-year bare-root tree, do not prune back the stem (contrary to what is suggested in our main planting instructions).

History

Samba is one of the most recent Ballerina-style apple varieties, developed at East Malling in Kent. It was introduced in 2008. The unusual minarette-like form is inherited from one of its ancestors, a natural genetic mutation of the well-known McIntosh apple variety, called Wijcik.

Whilst all these varieties have excellent ornamental impact, the flavour of the original McIntosh Wijcik was suitable only for cooking. Samba is a cross between the popular Flamenco Ballerina variety and Falstaff - and inherits the latter's productivity and good flavour. However it is the influence of Falstaff, particularly its tendency to produce lots of branches from a young age, which explains why Samba does not grow in the pole-like fashion common to other Ballerina varieties.

• British-grown trees

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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.