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.
Granny Smith apple trees for sale
Pot-grown
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
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root tree MM106 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.
Next deliveries
Order now for delivery from week commencing 6th January.
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
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersGood
- Fruit bearingPartial tip-bearer
- Climate suitabilityWarm climates
- Picking seasonVery late
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)3 months or more
- Food usesEating freshCulinary
- Disease resistanceAverage
- Scab (Apple and Pear)Some susceptibility
- Powdery mildewSome susceptibility
- Fire blightSome susceptibility
- Country of originAustralia
- Period of origin1850 - 1899
- Blossom colourPink - 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.
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.
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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.
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