John Downie

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John Downie is one of the most popular crab-apples in the UK, featuring traditional white blossom and very attractive bright orange-red fruitlets, with a distinctive upside-down pear shape.

It is perhaps the definitive variety for making crab apple jelly, which will usually be a pale pink colour.

It grows with a more upright habit than most other crab-apple varieties, and will fit in a relatively small space.

John Downie crab-apple trees for sale

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

• 11-year bare-root tree £36.75
  Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
  Sorry we have sold out for this season
• 22-year pot-grown tree £61.00
  Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
  In a 12L pot
  Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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Order now for delivery from week commencing 24th February.

How to grow

John Downie easy to grow, but somewhat prone to apple scab - although this does not affect the cooking quality of the fruit.

History

John Downie was raised in the 1870s by Edward Holmes, a nurseryman from Lichfield, England. He named it after his friend and fellow nurseryman John Downie.

John Downie characteristics

• Gardening skillAverage
• AwardsRHS AGM (former) - 1999
• Attractive featuresAttractive flowersAttractive fruit
• Flower colourWhite
• Leaf colourGreen
• Fruit colourOrange / Red
• Food usesJam / Jelly
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Annual cycleDeciduous

Similar varieties

• 
  Malus baccata
  Pink Glow
  Another good variety for making crab-apple jelly, Pink Glow ripens a bit earlier in the season.

What will it look like?

Illustrative example of a pot-grown tree of this variety as supplied. Approximate girth: 6/8cm. We try to keep all pot-grown trees down to about 1.5m as supplied, but some may be larger. Trees should reach their mature height after about 10 or more years. We may also have 1-year bare-root trees of this variety - they are not shown here.

How to choose a crab-apple tree

We list more than 40 different crab-apple trees. Choosing can be difficult! See our article explaining the different characteristics of crab-apple trees which will help you narrow down the selection.