Rosemary Russet apple trees

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• Picking season: Late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3
• Awards: RHS AGM (current) 1993

Rosemary Russet is highly-regarded classic English dessert apple.

Although considered a "russet", the extent of russeting is usually quite limited, and the skin is predominantly a pale green largely covered with an attractive orange flush.

The cream-coloured flesh is firm rather than crisp, with a well-balanced sharp-sweet flavour.

Growing and Training

Rosemary Russet is easy to grow and generally problem-free. It is heavy-cropping but left un-checked it tends to produce very small apples, so this is a variety that repays active thinning of the fruitlets in May, to increase the size of the remaining ones.

History

Rosemary Russet was first mentioned in 1831 by a nursery in Middlesex, however it is certainly somewhat older than this. DNA testing in 2022 by Reading University established that Rosemary Russet was a parent of Cox's Orange Pippin - in hindsight the similarities are quite obvious.

Rosemary Russet 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.