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Fruit EdibleTrees

Malus domestica 'Blue Moon' (D)

apple 'Blue Moon'

A non-branching, columnar tree about 2.5m tall and 50cm wide, producing flowers and fruit from short shoots all along the main trunk. Dull, bluish-purple and green apples have crisp, juicy, sweet-sharp flesh, cropping in late summer and storing for a few weeks. A self-fertile cultivar, but will crop better with a pollination partner

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
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: Unresolved
Horticultural Group: Dessert apples are sweet and juicy and are best eaten fresh and raw

How to grow

Cultivation

Prefers deep, fertile, moist but well-drained, neutral soil in a sunny sheltered position. Will not thrive on very acid soils, shallow chalk soils or with shade for more than half the day. Ideal for containers. May require fruit thinning to improve fruit size and quality. See apple cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding in late summer, or grafting in mid-winter. Plants grown from pips are unlikely to resemble the parent

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Wildlife gardens
Edible fruit
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Prune side shoots to two or three buds in summer

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, including rosy apple aphid and woolly aphid, fruit tree red spider mite, codling moth and other caterpillars

Diseases

May be susceptible to apple canker, blossom wilt, brown rot, fireblight and honey fungus. Has some resistance to apple scab and powdery mildews

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