Jelly King® crab apple trees
Malus
Check pollinators >
- Self-fertility: Self-fertile
- Blossom colour: White
- Fruit colour: Orange / Red
- Awards: RHS AGM (current) 2012
Jelly King is aimed particularly at cooks who want to make crab apple jelly - the orange/pink fruits produce a jelly of the same colour.
However Jelly King is more than just a crab apple jelly specialist, it is actually a great all-round crab apple. The white flowers are borne in profusion and provide an intense and long-lasting display in spring whilst in autumn the large fruits are particularly attractive too, and persist well into December (although unlike other persistent crab apples birds tend not to go for them).
Once the tree is a few years old it becomes a heavy-cropper, so even if you pick some for the kitchen there will still be plenty to provide autumn colour on the tree.
Jelly King crab 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 12L pot-grown tree Semi-vigorous rootstock£60.50
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root treeSemi-vigorous rootstock£36.75
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
Jelly King is a relatively vigorous grower but with compact upright proportions. It is also a good pollinator of mainstream apple varieties in flowering groups 2 and 3.
History
Jelly King was developed in New Zealand in the 1970s, and is sometimes known as Mattfru.
Jelly King characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersGood
- Picking seasonLate
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
- Food usesCulinary
- Country of originNew Zealand
- Period of origin1950 - 1999
- Blossom colourWhite
- Fruit colourOrange / Red
- AwardsRHS AGM (current)
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 crab apple trees
We have a huge range of crab-apple trees, with blossom colours from white to dark crimson, and fruitlet colours from red to orange to yellow, and lots of different sizes and forms.
It is well-known that many crab-apples (especially the ones with white blossom and green leaves) are excellent pollinators for mainstream apple varieties. This is because they produce huge quantities of pollen, usually over a long period, and with good compatiblity. Evereste, Golden Gem, Golden Hornet, John Downie and Red Sentinel are popular for this purpose.
While crab-apples are primarily used for their ornamental value, many are also useful for crab-apple jelly, and providing natural pectin for cooking with. Have a look at Laura, Jelly King, Pink Glow, and Harry Baker.