Granny Smith apple trees

• Picking season: Very late
• Self-fertility: Self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3

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.

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Granny Smith 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)
  

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Bare-root

• BR11-year bare-root treeMM106 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.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 31st March

Delivery charges

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

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.

History

Discovered by Maria Smith, Australia, 1860s.

Granny Smith characteristics

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

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.