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Red Windsor

If you are new to growing apple trees, Red Windsor is one of the easiest and most reliable of all apple varieties. It is self-fertile, so there is no need to worry about pollination partners. It grows naturally in a neat and tidy fashion, and crops heavily. The apples can be picked over several weeks so you don't have to deal with a glut. It seems untroubled by the usual diseases of apples, and the blossom also has some resistance to frost. Finally, and perhaps most important of all, it has a good robust apple flavor with some aromatic qualities.

Red Windsor is a red sport (natural mutation) of a German variety called Alkmene, derived from Cox's Orange Pippin - hence the good flavor. It has a noticeably redder and less Cox-like appearance than Alkmene, although the characteristic Cox flushed striping can usually be discerned.

Red Windsor is grown commercially on a small-scale in the UK, and sometimes marketed as Sweet Lilibet.

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Red Windsor apple trees for sale

  • 11-year maiden bare-root tree 33.45€
    M26 rootstock
    Medium size (2.5m-3m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
  • 21-year maiden bare-root tree 33.45€
    MM106 rootstock
    Large size (3m-4m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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How to grow

Red Windsor is a great mid-season apple variety for the UK garden. It is easy to grow and crops heavily. As mentioned above, it is self-fertile, a rare feature in apple varieties.

Red Windsor is reasonably disease-resistant and the blossom also has some resistance to late frosts. The tree grows in a compact style, so it is a good choice if you are short of space.

Being a mid-season variety, Red Windsor is also a good choice for difficult situations where light is limited, or where the summer growing season is short.

History

Developed in Herefordshire in the 1980s as a red sport of Alkmene. Its parentage is Cox's Orange Pippin and Duchess of Oldenburg.

Red Windsor characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group2
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • PloidyDiploid
  • Bearing regularityRegular
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Picking seasonMid Early September
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping1 week
  • Useful forEating fresh
  • Disease resistanceGood
  • ScabVery resistant
  • Climate typeTemperate climatesMild damp climates
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Cold (< 20C / 67F)
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Flower colourWhite
  • Fruit colourRed
  • AwardsRHS AGM (current) 2019RHS Plants for Pollinators