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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

Tickled Pink

Malus domestica
Baya Marisa apples
Tickled Pink is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

Baya® Marisa

Tickled Pink (Baya® Marisa) is a new dual-purpose apple variety with a remarkable and unusual red flesh. We worked alongside the Frank P. Matthews nursery in the West Midlands to introduce this new variety to the UK in 2011. It is amongst the best of the true red-fleshed apples for eating flavour.

On the tree the apples appear just like any other red apple, but cut one open and the striking red flesh is revealed. The flavour is tart but pleasantly mild, and the flesh is very juicy.

The blossom is a particularly attractive feature of this variety, being a deep solid crimson red - making it an excellent ornamental feature in the spring garden.

As you might expect Tickled Pink is also a useful apple for the kitchen. The slices keep their shape when cooked, and have an attractive pink colouring. The juice is also pink.

Tickled Pink featured in one of the dishes in the dessert finals of the BBC cookery programm 'Great British Menu' (series 14) in May 2019.

Tickled Pink apple trees for sale

  • RF12-year bare-root tree on M9 rootstock£43.00
    Mature height: 1.5m-2.5m after 10 years
    Suitable for growing a small bush-trained dwarf apple tree, will need a permanent stake.
    Available next season
  • RF21-year bare-root tree on M26 rootstock£34.95
    Mature height: 2m-3.5m after 10 years
    Suitable for a semi-dwarf apple tree, a medium apple spindlebush, a medium apple fan or espalier, a large apple cordon or U-cordon.
    Available next season
  • RF32-year bare-root tree on M26 rootstock£43.00
    Mature height: 2m-3.5m after 10 years
    Suitable for a medium bush-trained semi-dwarf apple tree.
    Available next season
  • RF41-year bare-root tree on M116 rootstock£34.95
    Mature height: 2m-3.5m after 10 years
    Can be grown on as a large free-standing apple tree, a small half-standard apple tree, or a large apple fan or espalier.
    Available next season
  • RF51-year bare-root tree on MM106 rootstock£34.95
    Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
    Can be trained on as a large free-standing apple tree, a half-standard apple tree, a large apple fan or espalier, or a pleached apple tree.
    Available next season
  • RF61-year bare-root tree on M25 rootstock£35.75
    Mature height: 5m-7m after 10 years
    Can be trained on to produce a big 'standard' free-standing apple tree in a traditional apple orchard.
    Available next season

Growing and Training

Tickled Pink has been developed specifically for the commercial grower and amateur gardener and has greatly improved horticultural characteristics over some of the earlier red-fleshed apple varieties, including better scab tolerance.

The main thing to look out for is over-cropping, which can be addressed by thinning the fruitlets in June.


Recommended pollinators for Tickled Pink apple trees

Tickled Pink is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit. The following varieties are good pollinators for Tickled Pink. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Braeburn
    Braeburn
    Braeburn is one of the best-flavoured supermarket apple varieties.
  • Pollinator Gala
    Gala
    Gala is popular supermarket apple - but better when home-grown, with a sweet pleasant flavour.
  • Pollinator Newton Wonder
    Newton Wonder
    A traditional English cooking apple, a good alternative to Bramley.
  • Pollinator Ellison's Orange
    Ellison's Orange
    Ellison's Orange is a well respected Cox-style apple which can achieve very good flavour.
  • Pollinator Golden Hornet
    Golden Hornet
    Malus Golden Hornet is a traditional white blossom crab apple, with persistent yellow fruits.
  • Pollinator Peasgood's Nonsuch
    Peasgood's Nonsuch
    Peasgood Nonsuch is a highly-regarded old-fashioned English cooking apple.
  • Pollinator King of the Pippins
    King of the Pippins
    A popular and versatile dual-purpose apple, widely grown in the Victorian era.
  • Pollinator John Downie
    John Downie
    John Downie is a traditional crab apple for making crab apple jelly. White blossom and orange-red fruits.

History

Germany 2009. This variety is registered under the trademark name Baya® Marisa.


Tickled Pink characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Pick seasonLate
  • Picking periodlate September
  • Keeping2-3 weeks
  • Food usesEating freshCulinaryJuice
  • Country of originGermany
  • Period of origin2000

You might also like these varieties

  • See also Hidden Rose
    Hidden Rose
    Hidden Rose is named for the unexpected pink flesh hidden behind the plain green skin.
  • See also Rosette
    Rosette
    Probably the best-flavoured of the pink-fleshed apple varieties, and produces lovely pink juice.
  • See also Surprize
    Surprize
    An unusual new apple variety with a unique combination of orange skin and pink flesh.

More about apple trees

While most apple varieties have white or cream flesh, some have red or pink or even orange flesh. These apples add an interesting colour to fruit salads, and their juice also looks more exotic than regular apple juice.

However the flavours of these apples for eating fresh are usually not quite as good as mainstream eating apples - they are usually a bit less sweet. Nevertheless they make an interesting addition to the home orchard.


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