Autumn 2024Order now for delivery from week commencing 18th November for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
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Rubinette apple trees

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

If you want to grow the best-tasting apple in the world, this is probably it. This unassuming apple has perhaps the most remarkable flavour of any variety. The balance between sweetness and sharpness is often a good indicator of flavor quality in apples - and in Rubinette that balance is close to perfection.

Most people who try Rubinette agree it is the best apple they have ever eaten - here is a selection of the tasting notes from our sister website about Rubinette:

"Undoubtedly the best tasting variety we grow …"

"Rubinettes are, by far, the tastiest apples I have ever eaten."

"... the most delicious apple I have had in years."

" ... a wonderful little apple."

"Crisp-juicy-flavorsome-tart - the most tasty apple we have had for years."

"... by far the tastiest apple variety I've tried in a long time."

"Extreme summer heat did not bother it and the flavor and crunch were outstanding."

"... the best apples I have eaten."

"... spent a couple of hours tasting a huge variety of apples, and we all kept coming back to Rubinette."

"This apple is a revelation ..."

Although it is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious, the depth and subtlety of Rubinette's flavour comes almost entirely from Cox's Orange Pippin.

 

Rubinette apple trees for sale

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree MM106 rootstock £34.95
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    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.

Delivery charges

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

Growing and Training

The main issue with Rubinette is its tendency to produce a large quantity of small apples. This is easily addressed by thinning the fruitlets in late spring just after the blossom finishes - allow no more than 1 fruit per set of blossoms. An unusual feature of Rubinette is that fruit size usually improves as the tree gets older, with good size being achieved about 3 years after planting.

Rubinette can be grown with some success without any chemical treatments (we do ourselves) but spraying against scab (using either conventional or organic pesticides) should give better results in wetter climates. Keep the ground around the tree free from grass and use a mulch to suppress weeds. Religiously clear up all old fruit and fruitlets to deny pests and diseases a home over winter.

Rubinette is a good choice for apple enthusiasts in warmer areas of North America who have not been able to achieve satisfactory results growing Cox's Orange Pippin. Rubinette performs much better than Cox in warmer climates, including southern California. However it is equally at home in cooler temperate climates and can be grown anywhere that Cox can be grown.

Most growers also find that Rubinette maintains a consistently high quality flavor every year, regardless of the weather.

 

History

Rubinette was developed in the mid-20th century by Walter Hauenstein, a grower from Rafz in Switzerland (hence it is sometimes known as Rafzubin). It is a marriage of two of the world's greatest apple varieties - Cox's Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious.

Hauenstein was originally hoping to produce an "improved" Golden Delicious, but as it turned out Rubinette inherited almost all its characteristics from Cox's Orange Pippin. It is an essential variety for Cox enthusiasts.

 


Rubinette characteristics

Growing

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

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingLight
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
  • Food usesEating fresh

Problems

  • Disease resistancePoor
  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Some susceptibility
  • Powdery mildewSome susceptibility
  • Fire blightSome susceptibility

Identification

  • Country of originSwitzerland
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Blossom colourPink - light
  • Fruit colourOrange flush

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
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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.

This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.