Bardsey

The Bardsey apple was named after the island of Bardsey, off the west coast of Wales, where this variety was first discovered in 1998. The unique location of Bardsey has made the island a place of pilgrimage and legend since ancient times, and the discovery of an apparently new apple variety on the island therefore received widespread press coverage at the time.

Not only is Bardsey a rather pretty apple, it is also very disease-resistant. It makes a good garden apple variety, particularly for the more challenging climates of the west of the UK.

Bardsey apples are similar to the well-known James Grieve in many respects, although there is no known connection between them. Like James Grieve they have a mild sweet flavour with some acidity, and a fairly crisp texture. They ripen in late August / early September. They are pleasant for eating fresh, and can also be juiced, and they will cook down to a sweet puree.

Growing and Training

Bardsey is an island off the west coast of Wales. Although considered a bit drier than other parts of Wales it is still essentially a mild, wet and windy climate, which favours many of the diseases to which apples are prone, particularly scab. To survive in this climate the Bardsey apple appears to have evolved very good disease resistance. It is therefore a useful variety to try in other damp mild climates such as the north-west and north coasts of Scotland, parts of Cumbria, and Devon and Cornwall, as well as western Wales.

The tree is known to be very hardy, but there is little information about the frost-resistance of its blossom, and freezing temperatures are relatively rare on the island. However anecdotal evidence from growers outside the UK suggests it is also tolerant of sub-zero winter temperatures, as well as summer heat and drought stress.

Bardsey appears to have a partial tip-bearing tendency, but is nevertheless suitable for training in most forms.

History

The original Bardsey tree was found growing wild on the island of Bardsey in 1998. It was subsequently popularised by local nurseryman Ian Sturrock, and identified as a unique new variety by experts at the UK National Fruit Collection.

It is sometimes also known as Merlin's apple, since the legendary wizard is said to be buried on the island - although many other sites also make this claim.

More information about the discovery of this variety and its cultivation can be found on the Bardsey website.

Bardsey characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• Pick seasonMid
• Picking periodlate September
• Keeping2-3 weeks
• Food usesEating freshCulinaryJuice
• Country of originUnited Kingdom - Wales
• Period of origin1950 - 1999
• Fruit colourOrange / Red

You might also like these varieties

• 
  Cornish Aromatic
  An attractive late-season apple from Cornwall, with a good aromatic flavour.
• 
  Galloway Pippin
  A traditional Scottish cooking apple which keeps its shape when cooked.
• 
  Scotch Bridget
  A popular Scottish cooking apple, well-suited to damp wet conditions.

More about apple trees

We've all grown up with Bramley cookng apples so we take it for granted that cooking apples are different to eating apples, but, surprisingly, the UK is one of the few countries that makes such a distinction between apples for cooking and apples for eating fresh.

The main qualtities of a good "cooker" are size - the bigger the better - and acidity. Counter-intuitively, it is the acid which gives cooking apples their flavour. In contrast the flavour of sweet dessert apples collapses with cooking.

Cooking apples are usually easier to grow than eating apples, and will tolerate partial shade.