Howgate Wonder
Malus domestica Howgate Wonder is a traditional very large English cooking apple, which has been popular amongst gardeners since its introduction at the start of the 20th century. It is easy to grow, and produces good crops of large sharp-flavoured cooking apples. It's a great alternative to Bramley.
The flavour has plenty of tangy acidity, but it is not quite as sharp as a Bramley. When cooked it produces an attractive lumpy puree, and it can also be used for juicing. If you like an acidic apple Howgate Wonder can also be eaten fresh.
Howgate Wonder apples can be stored in a cold shed and will keep until the following spring.
Howgate Wonder 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
One of the key attributes of a good cooker is that it should produce plenty of large apples, and Howgate Wonder is a naturally vigorous variety that grows into a fairly large tree - choose a smaller rootstock if space is an issue.
Howgate Wonder is easy to grow and fairly disease resistant. It is also a tough tree and tolerates difficult or exposed situations fairly well. The apples ripen quite late, and will hang on the tree into late autumn if you don't pick them.
Unlike a Bramley, Howgate Wonder produces viable pollen which will cross-pollinate other nearby apple trees flowering at the same time. It is also partially self-fertile, and in most areas will produce a reasonable crop of apples even if there are no other apple trees nearby.
Recommended pollinators for Howgate Wonder apple trees
Howgate Wonder is partially self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit.
However you will get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
Arthur TurnerA mid-season cooking apple, producing a light yellow puree. Very attractive blossom.
EveresteEvereste is one of the most well-known crab-apples, featuring white blossom and red-yellow fruits.
FiestaFiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
GorgeousMalus Gorgeous has pink/white blossom and spherical cherry-like red fruits which are good for jelly.
GreensleevesGreensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
James GrieveJames Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
KatyKaty is an attractive and versatile early apple variety from Sweden, very easy to grow.
Lord DerbyLord Derby is a high-quality mid/late-season traditional English cooking apple, cooks to a chunky puree.
History
Howgate Wonder is a cross between two traditional English cookers, Blenheim Orange and Newton Wonder - both large apples in their own right.
Howgate Wonder characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Fruit persistenceNormal ripeningPersistent
- Self-fertile?Partially self-fertile
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Pick seasonLate
- Picking periodearly October
- Keeping3 months or more
- Food usesCulinaryJuiceTraditional cooker
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin1900 - 1949
You might also like these varieties
Arthur TurnerA mid-season cooking apple, producing a light yellow puree. Very attractive blossom.
Bramley's SeedlingBramley is the essential English cooking apple, famous for its rich sharp acidity.
Lord DerbyLord Derby is a high-quality mid/late-season traditional English cooking apple, cooks to a chunky puree.
Peasgood's NonsuchPeasgood Nonsuch is a highly-regarded old-fashioned English cooking apple.
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.
