Sunset is a popular Cox-style apple, widely recommended as an alternative to Cox's Orange Pippin as it is much easier to grow. The parentage is not known but it is almost certainly a seedling of Cox. Disease resistance is far better, and cropping is good.
The flavour can vary quite a bit, but even in an average year it will be reliably sweet, and in a good year it has some of the aromatic qualities of Cox's Orange Pippin.
Sunset ripens in mid-September.
**All prices include delivery (except certain fan-trained or espalier-trained trees). We offer a discount on orders of multiple bare-root trees for delivery at the same time - this will be shown at the checkout.
Fan-trained and Espalier trees: Prices of these trees do NOT include delivery as these require special delivery arrangements - click here for details.
Delivery period: Pot-grown trees can be delivered from September onwards. Bare-root trees can be delivered from mid-November onwards. Within those periods you can specify your preferred month of delivery during the checkout process. It is best to order as soon as you can to ensure items are reserved for you.
*Mature heights: Height shown is the approximate height of the tree when mature (after 5-10 years), not the height when supplied. See photos of trees as supplied. Actual mature heights may vary considerably dependent on your local conditions and training and pruning regime.
Stock availability: Items showing as 'sold out' will probably be available again next season. If you would like to reserve in advance use our enquiry form - this does not commit you to anything.
Sunset is self-sterile and needs to be pollinated by another tree of a different variety nearby. Since it flowers in the middle of the blossom season it can be pollinated by most other apple trees.
Our online pollination checker lists suitable pollination partners for this variety.
More advice about pollination.
Sunset is self-fertile so no pollination partner is required. The main horticultural problem is that the apples tend to be quite small, but this is easily corrected by thinning the fruitlets thoroughly in May and early June. Sunset can be grown reliably throughout much of the UK. It is also a good variety for growing in a patio container.
Planting instructions.
Pruning instructions.
Introduced in 1918, unknown parentage but assumed to be a seedling of Cox's Orange Pippin.
