Lord Lambourne Apple Trees

Malus domestica Lord Lambourne: Eating Apple Trees

Lord Lambourne is one of those prodigies who took all the best bits from both of his parents, James Grieve and Worcester Pearmain, and became something quite different. The apple is a pleasing round shape and looks streaky red over orange/green with a smidgen of russeting present.
Lord Lambourne is the earliest of the aromatic apples to fruit - very apple-y with a strong and pleasant taste that is tempered by clear acidity and will sweeten over time, even after picking. The flesh is clean white and juicy to the bite.

His blossom comes in early May and will reliably survive a frost or two, so you are almost always guaranteed a crop even in a chilly Spring.

Browse our range of apple trees or all our fruit trees.

Features

• Height: bushes to 3m, half standards to 4.5m
• Use: Aromatic Eating
• Pruning: Partial tip bearer
• Pollination: Partially self-fertile
• Picking: September
• Apple colour: orangey green / red
• Pollination Group C
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Growing Lord Lambourne

Lord Lambo (to his friends) is very easy to grow, being highly resistant to scab and hard winters. Being partially self-fertile, it is recommended that you have another apple tree close by from Group C or D unless you have some flowering crab apples in the vicinity which will also do the job. A suggestion would be a very different dessert apple, Jupiter - an enormous contrast in taste and size - because one of Lord Lambourne's attractions is the small size of its fruit making them very attractive for children. An unusual cooker would be Howgate Wonder which doubles up as an eating apple later in the season.

If you are planning to put your tree somewhere prominent in the garden then you could try growing some lovely May tulips like White Triumphator around it for added effect.

Clear and weed a circle at least 1m in diameter (and keep it weeded after planting your Lord Lambourne).

Make a square hole that is comfortably wider than the treebs roots but only 5 cm deeper. The hole should be at least 30cms from any wall.

Bang in a tree stake off centre and to the south west if the tree is free standing.

Soak the roots in water for at least an hour.

Mound a little soil in the bottom of the hole and settle the tree roots on it until the soil mark on the trunk is at the same level as the surrounding soil and/or the grafting scion is at least 5cms above soil level. Remove the tree, sprinkle Rootgrow in the hole, wet the roots again to ensure good contact with the Rootgrow and return to the hole.

Backfill slowly, treading down gently as you go. Use a tree tie to attach your tree to the stake if freestanding.

Fit a treeguard. Water in with about 2 gallons/9 litres of water. Mulch the whole area. Water again the next day and then weekly afterwards through the first summer.

Did You Know?

The tree itself was introduced by Laxton Brothers in Bedford, of Laxtons Superb fame, and may well have been named after Amelius Lockwood (1847-1928) who became the first Baron Lambourne in 1917 (and, as it turned out, the last), having been the President of the RHS and the vice president of the RSPCA: flora and fauna in one!