Malus domestica 'Gilliflower of Gloucester' (D)
A mid-season dessert apple with a russet-textured yellow and red skin with soft but firm and chewy flesh and a rich, sweet, nutty pear-like flavour. The pale, white-green early foliage, white spring blossom and neat habit make this ideal as a garden specimen and for smaller gardens. It is self sterile, pollination group 3, crops in September and stores to December and sometimes even January
Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metresTime to ultimate height
10–20 yearsUltimate spread
2.5–4 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | White | Green | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Green | |||
| Autumn | Green | Brown Green Red Yellow | ||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy, Spreading branched
- Genus
Malus are small to medium-sized deciduous trees with showy flowers in spring and ornamental or edible fruit in autumn; some have good autumn foliage colour
- Name status
Accepted
- Horticultural Group
- Dessert apples are sweet and juicy and are best eaten fresh and raw
How to grow
Cultivation
Prefers a deep, fertile, moist but well-drained, neutral soil in a sheltered, sunny position. Will not thrive on very acid soils, shallow chalk soils or with shade for more than half the day. See apple cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by grafting in midwinter or chip budding in late summer on clonal rootstock for fruit. The rootstock will largely determine the vigour of the tree. Fruit grown from pips will not resemble the parent
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Wildlife gardens
- Edible fruit
- Wall side borders
Pruning
Prune according to chosen training method. See apple pruning. Thin fruit in late spring or early summer to improve size and quality. See fruit thinning
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids including woolly aphid and rosy apple aphid, fruit tree red spider mite, codling moth and other caterpillars
Diseases
May be susceptible to apple canker, apple scab (although this variety is generally resistant), blossom wilt, brown rot, fireblight, honey fungus and powdery mildews
Get involved
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