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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

Charles Ross

Charles Ross apples
Charles Ross has received the RHS Award of Garden MeritCharles Ross is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

Charles Ross is a very versatile apple to have in your garden.  With Cox as one of its parents it is sure to deliver on the flavour, but Charles Ross is also distinctive for its looks, producing a wonderfully rounded, large apple with a red and orange flush.

It's usefullness does not stop with being a good eating apple, as it is also great for cooking, keeping its shape when cooked.  Charles Ross has good hardiness so also grows well in Northern regions.

Unusually for a mid-season variety, Charles Ross will also keep fairly well, although the flavour can fade in time. 

Overall a very useful apple!


Charles Ross apple trees for sale

  • RF11-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
  • RF22-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
  • RF31-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
  • RF42-year bare-root tree on MM106 rootstock£43.00
    Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
    Suitable for a large bush-trained free-standing apple tree.
    Available next season

Growing and Training

Charles Ross is easy to grow with good disease resistance.  It is also a good choice if you have chalky soil as it has some tolerance to alkaline conditions.  It is however a weak grower and will not produce many shoots in first few years so keep pruning to a minimum until it is more established.


Charles Ross characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Pick seasonMid
  • Picking periodmid-September
  • Keeping1-2 months
  • Food usesEating freshCulinaryDual purpose
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1850 - 1899
  • Fruit colourOrange / Red

You might also like these varieties

  • See also Adams Pearmain
    Adams Pearmain
    Adams' Pearmain is a popular Victorian-era English apple with a distinctive 'pearmain' shape.
  • See also Cox's Orange Pippin
    Cox's Orange Pippin
    Cox is widely acknowledged as having the best flavour of any apple variety.
  • See also Kidd's Orange Red
    Kidd's Orange Red
    Kidd's Orange Red is one of the best Cox-style apples, aromatic, sweet, and easy to grow.
  • See also Sunset
    Sunset
    Sunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.

More about apple trees

Apples are very versatile, and all varieties can be eaten or used in the kitchen. However varieties specifically grown as eating apples tend to have the best flavours for eating raw.

The main thing to decide when choosing an eating apple is when you intend to eat the apples. Early season apples are typically ready in August, and generally don't keep very long. Mid-season apples are ripe in early September, while late-season apples start to become ripe in late September and October. Many of the late-season varieties can also be stored in a fridge or cold shed for several months into the winter.

Some apple varieties are self-fertile, but most are not. However in most areas of the UK you do not need to worry whether your apple trees are self-fertile or not, as there will be other apple trees in nearby gardens to help with pollination.


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