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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

Scotch Bridget

Scotch Bridget apples
Scotch Bridget is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

Scotch Bridget is a popular Scottish cooking apple, and also found in gardens in Cumbria and south-west England.

Its popularity is partly down to its good cooking qualities, and partly its ability to thrive in the mild but wet conditions encountered in the north west of England and Scotland. It can also be eaten fresh - if you like a sharper apple.

The apples are juicy and moderately acidic, and will keep for several months. When cooked they retain most of their shape.

Scotch Bridget apple trees for sale

  • RF11-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
  • RF21-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

Scotch Bridget is a good choice for anyone wanting to grow apples in a damp wet climate It also ripens a bit later than other varieties usually found in the north-west.


Recommended pollinators for Scotch Bridget apple trees

Scotch Bridget is not self-fertile and is also a poor pollinator of other varieties. Ideally you need two other different but compatible varieties planted nearby in order to produce fruit, or one compatible self-fertile variety. The following varieties are good pollinators for Scotch Bridget. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.

  • Pollinator Arthur Turner
    Arthur Turner
    A mid-season cooking apple, producing a light yellow puree. Very attractive blossom.
  • Pollinator Evereste
    Evereste
    Evereste is one of the most well-known crab-apples, featuring white blossom and red-yellow fruits.
  • Pollinator Fiesta
    Fiesta
    Fiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
  • Pollinator Gorgeous
    Gorgeous
    Malus Gorgeous has pink/white blossom and spherical cherry-like red fruits which are good for jelly.
  • Pollinator Greensleeves
    Greensleeves
    Greensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
  • Pollinator Howgate Wonder
    Howgate Wonder
    Howgate Wonder is a large cooking apple which keeps well. Produces an excellent sharp juice.
  • Pollinator James Grieve
    James Grieve
    James Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
  • Pollinator Katy
    Katy
    Katy is an attractive and versatile early apple variety from Sweden, very easy to grow.

History

Scotland, 19th century.


Scotch Bridget characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
  • Pollinating othersPoor
  • Pick seasonLate
  • Picking periodearly October
  • Keeping1-2 months
  • Food usesCulinaryTraditional cooker
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1850 - 1899

You might also like these varieties

  • See also Bloody Ploughman
    Bloody Ploughman
    An old Scottish apple variety, named for the crimson-red colour of its skin and stained flesh.
  • See also Coul Blush
    Coul Blush
    Coul Blush is an early-season dual-purpose apple from Scotland.
  • See also Galloway Pippin
    Galloway Pippin
    A traditional Scottish cooking apple which keeps its shape when cooked.
  • See also Scotch Dumpling
    Scotch Dumpling
    Scotch Dumpling is a large Scottish cooking apple. Cooks to a frothy puree with a good flavour.

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.


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