Bramley's Seedling, Bramley's Samling
These are the most popular cooking apple of all time. Bramley's Seedling - nowadays just know as the Bramley Apple tree - produces great big, flat bottomed apples with plenty of colour, usually boasting an orange-russet flush over their greenish yellow skin, with wide strokes of red completing the picture. The white flesh has a sharp flavour and juices very well - mixed with sweeter apple varieties, it makes excellent apple juice - go for about 70% bramley's, 30% other sweet varieties and can also be added to cider. The sharp flavour mellows with storage, so they become interesting dessert apples by the spring - a Bramley's apple contains about 2.5 times more vitamin C than an average apple, which is another good reason to save some to eat raw. Despite the fact that these fruit are pretty versatile, they are just so good at one thing that you will be excused for not bothering to experiment. Few other cookers bake so easily into the deliciously light, fluffy, syrup infused puree that is the ideal cooked apple - the flavour is mouth wateringly tangy and fruity and the texture is simply perfect. These apples are ready to pick in early October and store very well, well into the following spring if they are kept nice and cool.
Bramley's Seedling: History and Parentage
Raised in Nottinghamshire in 1809 by Mary Ann Brailsford, there is no record of this tree's parents. It was first raised commercially by a Mr Merryweather in 1865 and the RHS awarded it a first class certificate in 1893.
Apple Tree Pollination guide for Bramley's Seedling
Bramley's are triploids: their pollen is totally infertile, so they require another apple tree to pollinate them and are not capable of pollinating other trees. This means that an orchard that contains a Bramley's Seedling needs a minimum of three trees if they are all to be pollinated. They are capable of being pollinated by just about any other apple tree - if in doubt, we always recommend a crab apple tree. These have the longest flowering period and produce masses of pollen - one tree will sort out several square acres of orchard.
Rootstocks, Cultivation Notes and Planting Advice
As standard, we use MM106 rootstocks - they are the most drought resistant and are suitable for both farm and home use. These trees are vigorous and spreading, so allow a bit of extra space for them if you are planning on letting them grow naturally - plant a bush if space is tight. Bramley's are partial tip bearers, which means that most of the fruit is borne on the ends of the branches. Because of this, they aren't really suitable for training into restricted forms like cordons or espaliers. On the plus side, they need much less pruning than spur bearing apple trees. These trees have a strong biennial habit, so don't be concerned if the harvest varies alot from year to year - rigorous thinning of the fruit on a bumper year will help even out the swings. Potted apple trees that are planted in early summer will need watering throughout the summer - as a rule of thumb, give them a really good soaking once a week, even if there is a bit of rain.
If you are unclear about fruit tree sizes take a look at our Guide to Fruit Tree Sizing
Back to the apple trees page
0 items in 
