Prairie Sensation Apple Tree | Bare Root, Zone 2 | Spring 2027

A Prairie Sensation apple ripening on the branch

Prairie Sensation Apple (Spring 2027)

$54.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)

See trees that will pollenize it Apple Pollination Map

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Prairie Sensation Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 2 from Ed Schultz's tree in Gallatin Gateway (winters to -50°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 3 of 7, early-mid for an apple or crabapple), and it ripens about Sep 4 to Sep 17 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 2 to 7. A bare number means the whole of zone 2, colder half included (winters to -50°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 1,000 hours (850 to 1,200). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 3 of 7 (early-mid), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 2 to 4. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Good partners we carry: Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple, Blue Pearmain Apple and 100 more. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Apple Pollination Map.
Ripens	About Sep 4 to Sep 17 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size	Bud 118: semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper, about 12 to 18 ft tall unpruned. Stands on its own, few suckers. Dolgo: full size, about 20 to 30 ft tall unpruned. Very hardy and well anchored. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Fresh eating (8/10), winter storage (6/10), pies and baking (6/10), cooking and roasting (6/10), hard cider (6/10). Scores are our 1 to 10 ratings, but we haven't tasted it ourselves yet, so they lean on the University of Saskatchewan's reports and other growers rather than our own harvests. 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 3-4 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Prairie Sensation left a big impression on us in its very first season. At Ed Schultz’s orchard in Gallatin Gateway, the tree looked fantastic the summer after enduring a brutal -47°F winter, a strong sign of its exceptional cold hardiness. And it happens to be Ed's favorite apple of the scores he has grown over the years.

Bred for the Prairies, Perfect for Montana

Bred by the University of Saskatchewan, Prairie Sensation is a cross between Brookland and M359. While we haven’t yet tasted it ourselves, the University reports glowing feedback:

“Prairie Sensation has continued to score well in informal taste tests since 1993. Groups of growers, students, horticulture societies, faculty, and staff consistently rated it as one of the best of our selections. The flavor is a mild subacid with an intense aromatic component.”

Why Grow It?

Flavor: Mildly tart with a rich, aromatic punch
Cold Hardiness: Survives -50°F or colder
Visual Appeal: The tree is vigorous, healthy, and visually impressive, especially after extreme winters

Spring 2027 Availability and Rootstock

Our Spring 2027 Prairie Sensation trees are grafted onto Bud 118 and Dolgo, and are one year older (Spring bench grafted in 2025). Therefore, the rootstock is going on its fourth year whereas the tops are going on their third year.

Perfect for those in Montana, the Dakotas, interior Canada, and any area with harsh winters and short seasons.

Questions we get about Prairie Sensation Apple

Does Prairie Sensation Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Prairie Sensation Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 2 to 4. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple.

How cold hardy is Prairie Sensation Apple?

We list Prairie Sensation Apple at zone 2, which means winters down to about -50°F. That comes from Ed Schultz's tree in Gallatin Gateway, which looked fantastic the summer after a -47°F winter, rather than from our own trees, which are still young.

How many chill hours does Prairie Sensation Apple need?

About 1,000 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 850 and 1,200. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Prairie Sensation Apple ripen?

About Sep 4 to Sep 17 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Prairie Sensation Apple get?

We graft Prairie Sensation Apple onto Bud 118 (semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper), which makes a tree roughly 12 to 18 ft tall if you never prune it. Some sizes are on Dolgo.

What is Prairie Sensation Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Prairie Sensation Apple are fresh eating (8/10), winter storage (6/10), pies and baking (6/10), cooking and roasting (6/10). Since we haven't tasted it ourselves yet, those scores lean on the University of Saskatchewan's taste tests. Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Will deer eat Prairie Sensation Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Prairie Sensation Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Prairie Sensation Apple

Prairie Sensation Apple needs a different apple or crabapple nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Good pollenizer

104 trees we carry will pollenize it. Showing the best matches, in-stock first.