English Apples - Cox's Orange Pippin
How odd - I have no pictures of Cox - don't grow them. Too cold in this part of the Midlands.
Most people think Cox has the best flavour of any English apple.
This is debateable - there are rivals, like Ribston, Laxton's Fortune, and a few others. But Cox has another
property: unlike its competitors, it keeps through the winter whilst keeping a fair proportion of its flavour. Its
rivals don't.
Cox's Orange is self-sterile and a tree on its own will set no fruit. Bear this in mind before buying one.
It really needs two companion trees, to pollinate it and each other.
There are one or two growers now advertising a self-fertile Cox. I don't know how the flavour compares
with the original.
Scott's catalogue is informative, saying that it crops well in all forms, but is more susceptible to fungus,
bacterial
and deficiency diseases than most; consequently needs care and attention to spraying and feeding requirements. "Much
of
the fruit sold as Cox is either under-ripe or badly stored and it is well worth growing one's own fruit". They
say it is successful as
a fan tree on a sunny wall.
Deacon's catalogue is siimilarly positive: "Still the unequalled one. Best flavour, in spite of its list of rivals. Everybody should
have one".
Pictures to follow, eventually...
compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
