Cherry Cox Apple (Spring 2027)

This is our first year growing Cherry Cox, so everything below is secondhand until we get more long-term data from our own mother trees.

Overview

Cherry Cox is a sport of Cox's Orange Pippin, meaning it started as a branch mutation on a Cox tree rather than as a seedling. It has darker red skin than Cox, and the growers who've written about it describe a cherry flavor with a little anise in it.

Origin and History

According to the UK's National Fruit Collection, it was found by a Mr. Roed in Kjer's Orchard at Lindved, near Hjallese on the Danish island of Funen, around 1942. A Danish grower's notes give the same place and year. It was brought to England in 1951 by High Weald Nurseries in Sussex.

Fruit and Uses

Medium sized and round, with a darker, more solid red skin than regular Cox. The National Fruit Collection says it keeps Cox's rich, aromatic flavor. Stephen Hayes of SkillCult tastes cherry, "something almost like cherry cough drops," plus some anise, and says it's fairly tart until it's fully ripe. It's picked from late September into early October. A Danish grower recommends letting it sit for about a month after picking, and says it's then a really good eating apple. It's said to keep longer than Cox, which is a poor keeper, but nobody we've found gives a number of months. This is a fresh-eating apple first.

Growth Habit and Spacing

Ours are on Bud 118 semi-dwarf rootstock. Plan on about 15 feet between trees, up to 18 feet for airflow. Reports on disease are mixed. SkillCult found it moderately susceptible to scab, and the Danish grower says the tree isn't especially healthy, so keep an eye on it. On the plus side, SkillCult says it's one of the most consistent bearers on his tree and if anything sets too much fruit, so plan to thin.

Pollination

Cherry Cox needs a pollenizer. Reports put its bloom somewhere in the early-mid to mid window, so pair it with something like Haralson, Frostbite, Cortland, Macoun, Liberty or Kerr.

Cold Hardiness

We've listed it at zone 4 for now. The only rating we've found is Raintree Nursery's USDA zone 4, and that's based on average winter lows, not on the coldest temperature the tree has actually survived. We'll update it once we've wintered our own trees.

Photo credit: “20485CherryCox” by Juniperbushman, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.