St. Edmund's Pippin Apple Tree

Representative photo of golden russet apples on the tree, not St. Edmund's Pippin itself

St. Edmund's Pippin Apple (Spring 2027)

$44.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 2 of 7 (Early)

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)

Disease resistanceResists 3 of 4

Apple scab : Resistant, 4 of 5
Cedar-apple rust : Resistant, 4 of 5
Fire blight : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Powdery mildew : Resistant, 4 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our apple disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: St. Edmund's Pippin Apple is an apple tree we've deliberately listed at zone 5 (winters to -20°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 2 of 7, early for an apple or crabapple).

Hardy to	Zone 5 to 9. A bare number means the whole of zone 5, colder half included (winters to -20°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 700 hours (600 to 900). Well documented. Independent sources agree. 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 2 of 7 (early), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 1 to 3. Its pollen quality isn't confirmed yet, so don't count on it as the only pollenizer for another tree. Good partners we carry: Dolgo Crabapple (Bundle of 2), Chestnut Applecrab, Crimson Beauty Apple, Lodi Apple and 42 more. Apple Pollination Map.
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. Plant about 15 ft apart. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Fresh eating (8/10), hard cider (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10). Scores are our 1 to 10 ratings, but we're still new to this one, so they lean on English references 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.

First year for us, so this comes from English references and from growers with more time on it than we have.

Overview

St. Edmund's Pippin is a small golden russet with a reputation among cider and juice people as one of the best apples in England for pressing. It is also excellent straight off the tree, which is less common than you would think among russets.

Origin and History

It was raised at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England, around 1870, and it is sometimes listed as St. Edmund's Russet. It picked up a first class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society not long after and has been a favorite of English garden orchardists ever since.

Fruit and Uses

Small to medium, flattish, with a dull gold skin covered in fine russet. The flesh is creamy white, fine textured and remarkably juicy for a russet, with a rich flavor people usually describe as pear-like or vanilla. It is an early season apple, ready around late August into September, and it does not keep long, so eat it or press it. The juice is exceptional.

Growth Habit and Spacing

On Bud 118 semi-dwarf rootstock. Plan on about 15 feet between trees, up to 18 feet for airflow.

Pollination

It needs a pollenizer and blooms early, so pair it with another early bloomer. Chestnut, Centennial, Norland, Crimson Beauty and Dolgo all overlap.

Cold Hardiness

Here is the honest part. We have this one listed at zone 5, which is the warmest rating in our whole catalog, and that is deliberate. This is an English apple from a mild maritime climate with no track record in hard cold. If you are in Missoula, the Bitterroot, the Flathead or a warm bench site, it is worth a try. If you are east of the divide or in a valley that pools frost, plant something else.

Illustration: “St. Edmunds Pippin” by Amanda Newton, USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection, Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library (POM00003241). Public domain.

About the photo: this isn’t St. Edmund's Pippin itself. Photos of St. Edmund's Pippin are either under copyright or simply unavailable, so we picked the open-source image that looks closest to the fruit. Photo: “Russet apples (15163043718)” by grassrootsgroundswell, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.

Questions we get about St. Edmund's Pippin Apple

Does St. Edmund's Pippin Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. St. Edmund's Pippin 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 1 to 3. Its pollen quality isn't confirmed yet, so don't count on it as the only pollenizer for another tree. Partners we carry include Dolgo Crabapple (Bundle of 2), Chestnut Applecrab, Crimson Beauty Apple.

How cold hardy is St. Edmund's Pippin Apple?

We list St. Edmund's Pippin Apple at zone 5, which means winters down to about -20°F. That's deliberate. It's an English apple from a mild maritime climate with no track record in hard cold, and we haven't wintered our own trees yet. It's worth a try in Missoula, the Bitterroot, the Flathead or a warm bench site, but not east of the divide or anywhere frost pools.

How many chill hours does St. Edmund's Pippin Apple need?

About 700 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 600 and 900. That figure is well documented: independent sources agree. A fairly low-chill russet (about 700 hours). It blooms early, so give it an early-blooming partner. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

How big does St. Edmund's Pippin Apple get?

We graft St. Edmund's Pippin 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. Plant about 15 ft apart.

What is St. Edmund's Pippin Apple good for?

Our top use scores for St. Edmund's Pippin Apple are fresh eating (8/10), hard cider (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10). Since we're still new to it, those scores lean on English references rather than our own harvests. Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Is St. Edmund's Pippin Apple disease resistant?

For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to apple scab, cedar-apple rust and powdery mildew. It's prone to fire blight. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat St. Edmund's Pippin Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect St. Edmund's Pippin Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does St. Edmund's Pippin Apple ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 3-4 ft or 4-6 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize St. Edmund's Pippin Apple

St. Edmund's Pippin 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 2 of 7 (Early)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Not tested yet

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