DescriptionDelivery & Guarantee
Malus domestica Winter Banana
Browse all our apple trees here or read our guide to buying the right apple tree.
With such an unusual name, you would expect a pretty special apple. Well, we have to let you down a little; although it does have a lovely and unusual aroma, it doesn't really taste like a banana. Perhaps its breeder was cleverly trying to cash in on the excitement that the name Winter Banana would cause - it sounds a bit like a joke from a Carry On film...
Winter Bananas have sweet, softly crisp, slightly grainy flesh and they are excellent for making juice or for use as the sweet element in a cider brew. The name probably comes from the colour of the skin, which is usually at least half yellow, the rest flushing with a warm orange-red. Sadly, these trees just won't give you their best flavour if you live outside the warmer areas of the South-West and even then we recommend a sheltered and sunny site. They need warmth to reach perfection. This apple is well worth a look for anyone with a suitable site who is after something different. You can pick Winter Banana apples in early October and they will store until the end of January, reaching their best flavour after a couple of weeks ripening off the tree.
Winter Banana's History and Parentage: Mr David Flory of Indiana, USA, bred this tree in the 1870's and it began commercial growing in 1890. The RHS gave it an Award of in 1912. We have been unable to trace its parents - your thoughts are always welcome.
Pollination Partners for Malus Winter Banana: Your trees are pretty much self-sterile and need to be cross-pollinated with another apple tree for fruit to set. Apple Tree Pollination table.
Rootstocks, Growing Notes and Pruning & Planting Advice:
Our Winter Banana trees are grown on MM106 rootstocks, which are suitable for any restricted form and will produce a mature tree about 4 metres high - the ideal size for a large crop that is easy to harvest. If you don't have a warm, sunny site in the South-West of the country, we suggest that you train your tree as a cordon and grow it under glass - you can do this in decent sized pot - or train it as a fan or espalier against a sunny South facing wall.
If you are unclear about fruit tree sizes, please take a look at our Guide to Fruit Tree Sizing.
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Read our full terms and conditions here.
Delivery:
The basic delivery charge for all orders containing fruit trees of any size (bareroot or pot-grown) is £12.55 + VAT.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
You can choose the delivery week that suits you during checkout and we will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.
Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.
Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.
Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted fruit trees must be watered in dry weather while they are establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.
Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot fruit trees to gardeners and orchard owners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying fruit trees online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.
Your 12 Month Guarantee
If any plants die within a year, we replace them if you have followed our instructions. You only pay for
the delivery of the replacements.
Place an order for £250 excluding VAT and delivery and we deliver it for FREE!
Bare-root Plants are only delivered in the winter season, from November to March. Pot grown plants can be delivered all year round
Advantages of Bare-root plants:
You pay less for the same size plants.
You can carry and plan them easily.
You only plant them in winter, so they need less maintenance after
planting. The rain will water them for their first few months.
You get the biggest selection: Many trees are not sold pot-grown.
They are "asleep" in winter - this is the best time to transplant any tree.
They use fewer fertilisers & fungicides, less water and fuel in their production & delivery.
Advantages of Pot Grown plants:
Pot grown plants can be delivered & planted all year round.
Plants with tender roots & larger specimens must be delivered in pots.
Plants in pots can be kept for months longer if there is a delay in planting.
Our Advice to You:
If you can't wait to get planting, order Pot grown plants now.
If you are not in a hurry, order bare-root plants for delivery this winter. Simply add them to your basket and choose a winter delivery date that suits you during checkout.
This will reserve your plants before they sell out.
We won't charge you until the day before delivery, so cancelling your order is always easy.
If you are only ordering chemicals and other small items, delivery is £3.50
Our delivery charge for most bareroot plants is £9.49 + VAT.
If your order contains any standard sized trees, fruit trees or pot-grown plants, then the delivery charge is £12.55 + VAT in TOTAL.
If you live in the Scottish Highlands or the Isle of Wight, there will be an extra charge of £15 + VAT on top of the appropriate basic charge, as listed above.
If your order is over £250 exc. VAT, there will be no delivery charge.
If you are uncertain, just add items to your basket which will calculate the basic shipping charge for you.
