Spring / Summer 2025Pre-order now for delivery September onwards.
Tel. 01759 392007

Meridian apple trees

Meridian apples
Meridian is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3

Meridian is a good example of the modern English dessert apple, and an excellent choice for the garden. It is unfortunately not that well known, and deserves to be more widely-planted.

Meridian is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin and Falstaff, and inherits the best qualities of both varieties. Meridian is a notably juicy apple, typical of Falstaff (and other varieties descended from James Grieve).

The flavour is very good, with plenty of sweetness but a good balance of sharp acidity as well - this is a variety that will appeal to most tastes.

Meridian 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 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock£56.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£34.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR21-year bare-root treeM116 rootstock£34.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR31-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£34.95
    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

Meridian is easy to grow, crops heavily, and has good disease resistance. It crops reliably in most seasons

Recommended pollinators for Meridian apple trees

Meridian 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 Meridian. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Scrumptious
    Scrumptious
    Scrumptious is a modern award-winning early-season English dessert apple.
  • Pollinator Red Falstaff
    Red Falstaff
    Red Falstaff is one of the best garden apple trees, heavy crops, easy to grow, and very juicy.
  • Pollinator Red Devil
    Red Devil
    Red Devil is a good apple variety for the UK garden, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
  • Pollinator Fiesta
    Fiesta
    Fiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
  • Pollinator James Grieve
    James Grieve
    James Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
  • Pollinator Butterball
    Butterball
    Malus Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly.
  • Pollinator Sunset
    Sunset
    Sunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.
  • Pollinator Greensleeves
    Greensleeves
    Greensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.

History

Developed at East Malling Research Station in Kent during the late 20th century as an alternative to Cox's Orange Pippin - which is one of its parents. However in many respects it is closer to its other parent, Falstaff.


Meridian characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonMid
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
  • Food usesEating freshJuice

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood
  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance
  • Powdery mildewSome resistance
  • Woolly aphidSome susceptibility

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin2000
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourOrange / Red

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

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.


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