Coxs Orange Pippin Apple Trees

• Variety: Cox's Orange Pippin, the great English eating Apple, in its self-fertile form
• Latin name: Malus domestica 'Self Fertile Cox's Orange Pippin'
• Use: Eating and juicing
• 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. Self-fertile, and crops better still with a partner from group B, C or D
• Picking: Early October
• Season of use: October to January
• Site: Full sun and shelter. Happiest in the drier east of Britain
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Cox's Orange Pippin is the classic English eating Apple: aromatic, juicy and flushed orange-red. Ours is the self-fertile form, so one tree crops on its own. Pick it in early October and eat it through to January. It wants sun, shelter and good care, and it is happiest in the drier east.

Coxs Orange Pippin Apple Trees

'Coxs Orange Pippin' apple trees carry quintessentially English eating apples that juice very well: in a good season they are an unusual orange-russet colour. It stores to mid-winter in a cool place, and you can freeze the juice from any excess apples.

The tree is quite slow-growing and upright; it's ideal for low maintenance cordons & espaliers.

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. Pot grown plants, year round.

Growing Cox 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.

Cox's Orange Pippins are more susceptible to disease than most, unsuitable for organic growing commercially.
It's not ideal for the more humid, warmer areas in the West and South of Britain, where scab and canker are more common. Although it'll perform better in a cooler climate, it's not recommended for the North & Scotland because its flowers are easily damaged by late spring frosts.

They're generally happier in the drier Eastern parts of the country, although we have a large stock tree here in Somerset that crops wonderfully, thanks to the attention we give it. We do not spray it apart from with organic winter wash, we only follow best practice: plenty of mulch annually, sweeping up fallen leaves and fruit, removing bad ones, and some water in a dry summer spell so the tree is never stressed.

Rootstocks:
We use MM106 for Cox, the UK standard for medium-sized trees, ideal for gardeners. It gives a half-standard about 4m tall, and a bush about 3m.
MM106 maidens are suitable for cordons, fans and espaliers. We don't sell ready-trained cordons, fans or espaliers but you can just buy maidens and train them yourself: we can pre-prune them to whichever form(s) you choose and we send you instructions at pruning time in subsequent years.

Cox Disease notes:
Disease susceptibility: Scab, Canker (high), Mildew, Fireblight, Cedar Rust, Bitter Pit (moderate). Recommended alternative is Fiesta, which has similar flavour and better disease resistance.

Pollination Partners for Cox

Your trees are self fertile, making decent crops without a pollination partner, but still perform best with one.
Cox 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

Cox crops alone, and better with a partner that flowers in group B, C or D. Fiesta has a similar flavour and is easier to grow, and Sunset, Katy and Red Falstaff are in group C too. Pear trees give a shared orchard a different season. 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 Cox's Orange Pippin 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 Cox's Orange Pippin need a pollination partner?

Not this one. We grow the self-fertile form, which sets a decent crop on its own pollen. A partner from group B, C or D still brings heavier crops.

Is this the original Cox?

It is a self-fertile sport of the original, with the same fruit. It is listed as 'Self Fertile Cox's Orange Pippin'. The original needs a partner, and it is not the tree we sell.

How long do Cox Apples keep?

It crops in early to mid-autumn and stores to mid-winter. Pick in early October, and keep sound fruit somewhere cool, dark and airy.

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.

Where does Cox grow best?

In full sun and shelter, on deep, fertile soil that drains well. It is difficult to grow well in cool, wet areas, so it is happiest in the drier east.

Do you sell Cox 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.

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.