Cox Orange Pippin Apple (Spring 2027)

Overview

Cox’s Orange Pippin is a classic English dessert apple first raised in the early 19th century by Richard Cox in Buckinghamshire, England and introduced in 1825. It is renowned for its complex, aromatic flavor and has played an important role in apple breeding.

Caution

Rod would say that, given Cox’s Orange Pippin’s proneness to scab, cracking, and seemingly every disease, it would be horticultural malpractice not to state this plainly. This is not a low-maintenance apple and requires attentive site selection and disease management. However, for growers willing to meet its needs, the reward is exceptional—when Cox’s Orange Pippin succeeds, the flavor is truly remarkable.

Uses

Cox’s Orange Pippin is primarily a fresh-eating apple, prized for its rich sweet–tart balance and distinctive, perfumed flavor. It is also valued for cider blending, where it contributes aroma and complexity, and can be used in baking when flavor is the primary goal.

Cold Hardiness

Cox’s Orange Pippin is usually considered moderately hardy and many sources will list it as a zone 5. However, in our experience in Montana, it has survived -30F in a colder spot of Missoula (near Frenchtown) without any winter injury, survived for Rod at -35F. So it is easily a zone 4 in our experience.

Final Note

If you're after the classic Cox flavor but worried about growing it, here are some notes from Rod McIver:

In Kalispell, Holstein was Rod McIver’s favorite, with Alkmene also performing well, while Rubinette and Elstar struggled. Rod did not care for Ellison Orange, finding the flavor unusual, though he acknowledged it as the most disease-resistant member of the Cox lineage.

Photos: “Apple on a tree (Cox's Orange Pippin cultivar)” by Andreas Rother, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.5; “Apfel 030 Cox Orange (fcm)” by Frank C. Müller, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; “Cox Orange (Apple) jm99046” by joergens.mi, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.