Howgate Wonder Apple Trees

• Variety: Howgate Wonder, a very large cooking Apple that keeps its shape
• Latin name: Malus domestica 'Howgate Wonder'
• Use: Cooking, juice and cider. Mild enough to eat when fully ripe
• Sold as: Bareroot maiden, bush and half-standard
• Rootstock: MM106
• Mature size: A bush is kept at about 3m. 4.5m by 4.5m if left unpruned
• Pollination: Group C. Partly self-fertile: it crops better with a partner
• Bearing: Spur bearer
• Picking: Early October
• Storage: Until February
• Position: Full sun, sheltered
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (2014)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Howgate Wonder is a heavy-cropping, late cooking Apple with very large, red-flushed fruit that holds its shape in a tart and has a mild flavour. It was raised on the Isle of Wight from Blenheim Orange and Newton Wonder, keeps until February, and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Howgate Wonder Apple Trees

The Howgate wonder is a large apple, red streaked over a ground of yellow/green in that properly old-fashioned fairy tale look. Pink and white blossom.
The cream-coloured flesh has a crisp crunch, that bridges the gap between cooker and eater when fully ripe.

Mainly used as a cooker, it rivals the famous Bramley by keeping its shape when cooked, a bonus for apple tarts. The juice is refreshing and works well when mixed with another, sweeter apple.

Even in less than perfect conditions, it'll perform well producing a generous crop of large apples.

Browse our range of apple trees, or all our fruit trees.
Read our guide to buying apples.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered from late autumn to spring, November to April.

Growing Howgate Wonder Apples

Apples like rich, well drained soil, and will thrive on clay in locations that do not get waterlogged in winter.
A full day of sun and shelter from the wind is ideal.

Disease Notes:
Good disease resistance

Rootstocks:
We use MM106 for Howgate Wonder, the UK standard for medium-sized trees, ideal for gardeners. On MM106 rootstock, expect a mature size of around 4.5m tall and 4.5m across, whichever form you choose.
MM106 maidens are suitable for cordons and espaliers.

The vintage look of the slightly streaky red and green apple, the blossom in spring, and a summer flowering rambler rose like Albertine or Felicite Perpetue make Howgate Wonder a decorative feature for three seasons of the year.

Pollination Partners

Your trees are partly self-fertile, making decent crops without a pollination partner, but still perform best with one.
Howgate Wonder is in Pollination Group C, which cross-pollinates with other apple trees in Groups B, C and D.

Use our Fruit Pollination Checker to quickly find pollination partners, or Apple Pollination Guide to learn more.

Planting Companions

Howgate Wonder crops better with a partner from group B, C or D. Lord Derby is a second cooker in the same group, and Discovery and Cox's Orange Pippin add an early and a late eater. One of its parents, Blenheim Orange, is still in our list. For trained forms, read our guide to training fruit trees on wires. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Your Apple Tree from Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Howgate Wonder Apple tree is grafted onto MM106 rootstock, and maidens are pre-pruned before despatch for the form you choose. Bareroot trees are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Howgate Wonder need a pollination partner?

Not strictly. It is partially self-fertile, so one tree sets fruit alone. It crops better with another Apple from group B, C or D nearby, such as Lord Derby, Discovery or Cox.

Is Howgate Wonder a cooking or an eating Apple?

A cooker first. The flavour is very mild, the slices keep their shape, and the juice is good. Fully ripe, it is sweet enough to eat.

When are the Apples picked, and how long do they keep?

Pick in early October. Stored somewhere cool, they keep until February.

How big does the tree grow?

On MM106, a pruned bush is kept at about 3 metres and a half-standard at about 4 metres. Left unpruned, the rootstock gives a tree about 4.5 metres tall and wide.

Do you sell Howgate Wonder as a cordon or espalier?

You buy a maiden and make the shape yourself, which is how a cordon is made. Tell us the form you want and we pre-prune the maiden before despatch. MM106 suits cordons, fans and espaliers.

Does it hold an award?

Yes. It has held the Award of Garden Merit since 2014, and it is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.