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Tel. 01759 392007

Gala apple trees

Gala apples
Gala is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4

One of the most popular apple varieties, and a good mid-season variety for the garden in many areas. The sweet flavour of ripe Gala apples eaten straight from the tree is quite a surprise compared to supermarket examples.

Another surprise is the fruit size, which is likely to be quite a bit larger than the small snack-size apples that are most usually sold in the shops. When home-grown (and well-thinned) Gala apples will get to a nice size, much more reminscent of its parent Kidd's Orange Red.

Gala is also a good variety for juicing, as you might expect the flavour is rich and sweet, useful for mixing with other sharper varieties.

Gala is one of the most commercially important of all apple varieties, and as a result a large number of Gala "sports" exist. These are naturally occuring mutations which are mostly indistinguishable from the original in terms of flavour but may have a deeper coloration or more pronounced flush to the skin. Royal Gala is probably the best known. We occasionally offer some of these newer forms but most of our trees are the original Gala, which in our opinion has more natural skin hues.

Gala 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 M26 rootstock£56.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-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

  • BR12-year bush-trained bare-root treeM9 rootstock£44.75
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • BR21-year bare-root treeM26 rootstock£34.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR32-year bush-trained bare-root treeM26 rootstock£43.00
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR41-year bare-root treeM116 rootstock£34.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR51-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 24th February.

Delivery charges

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

Growing and Training

Gala is widely grown on a commercial basis in South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, and France. One of its unique characteristics is that Gala will produce good-quality apples across an unusually wide range of climates from cool temperate to hot.

Gala can be grown successfully in the south, central, and east of the UK, and crops well.

However Gala is susceptible to fungal infections. If you have a dry climate this is not usually such a problem - and the flavour of home-grown ripe Gala apples is worth a bit of effort - but it is not a good choice for mild or wet climates.

Most sports of Gala have some degree of self-fertility - but will set much better crops if there is a nearby pollination partner.

Recommended pollinators for Gala apple trees

Gala is partially self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit. However you will get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Braeburn
    Braeburn
    Braeburn is one of the best-flavoured supermarket apple varieties.
  • Pollinator John Downie
    John Downie
    John Downie is a traditional crab apple for making crab apple jelly. White blossom and orange-red fruits.
  • Pollinator Golden Hornet
    Golden Hornet
    Malus Golden Hornet is a traditional white blossom crab apple, with persistent yellow fruits.
  • Pollinator Newton Wonder
    Newton Wonder
    A traditional English cooking apple, a good alternative to Bramley.
  • Pollinator Wedding Bouquet
    Wedding Bouquet
    Malus Wedding Bouquet features ivory-white blossom and tiny red berry-like fruitlets.
  • Pollinator Ellison's Orange
    Ellison's Orange
    Ellison's Orange is a well respected Cox-style apple which can achieve very good flavour.
  • Pollinator Peasgood's Nonsuch
    Peasgood's Nonsuch
    Peasgood Nonsuch is a highly-regarded old-fashioned English cooking apple.
  • Pollinator King of the Pippins
    King of the Pippins
    A popular and versatile dual-purpose apple, widely grown in the Victorian era.

History

Gala was developed by New Zealand apple enthusiast J.H. Kidd from one of his earlier successes, Kidd's Orange Red, which he crossed with Golden Delicious. Through this parentage Gala unites three of the world's most influential apple varieties, Cox's Orange Pippin, Delicious, and Golden Delicious. The Kidd's Orange Red parentage is more obvious in Gala than the Golden Delicious side. More surprisingly, the influence of Delicious (one of the parent's of Kidd's Orange Red) comes through very strongly in Gala, more so than in Kidd's Orange Red - the deep red colour, sweet flavour, and large upright shape are very reminiscent of Delicious.


Gala characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityPartially self-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonMid
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)3 months or more
  • Food usesEating freshJuice

Problems

  • Disease resistancePoor
  • CankerSome susceptibility
  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Very susceptible
  • Powdery mildewSome susceptibility
  • Fire blightSome susceptibility

Identification

  • Country of originNew Zealand
  • Period of origin1900 - 1949
  • Blossom colourPink - light
  • 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.


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