Norfolk Royal Russet Apple Trees

Norfolk Royal Russet (Norroy) Apple Trees: Eating

This lovely eating apple has that wonderful golden russet texture laid over a classic yellow and red-splashed skin: very handsome indeed! It fruits in September, storing into December, perhaps January.
The flesh is quite soft yet still firm and chewy, on the dry side and so not mushy or spongy at all. It has a sweet, rich, deep flavour with notes of pear and nuts, quite unlike other russets, so we promise it's well worth a try if you think you don't like russets! 
The white spring blossom and pale-whitish green new leaves make this an exceptionally attractive tree, whose tidy, compact habit is simply perfect for a garden specimen in full view of the house.

Browse our range of apple trees, or all our fruit trees.
Read our guide to buying apples.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered in late Autumn to Spring, about November-March inclusive.

Features:

• Use: Eating. Excellent flavour, distinct from other russets
• Spur bearer (good for cordons & espaliers)
• Self-sterile, Pollinator.
• Pollination Group C
• Picking: September.
• Stores in a cool dry place till December
• Colour: Yellow/red over russeted skin
• Good disease resistance
• Former RHS Award of Garden Merit holder

Growing Royal Russet Apples

Apples like a rich, well drained soil, and will thrive on clay in locations that do not get waterlogged in winter.
A full day of sun and shelter from the wind is ideal.

Disease notes:
Good resistance to scab and mildew.

Rootstocks:
We use MM106 for Norfolk Royal Russet, the UK standard for medium-sized trees, ideal for gardeners. Grown as a half-standard, MM106 gives a tree about 4 metres tall, and as a bush about 3 metres. MM106 maidens are suitable for cordons and espaliers.

Pollination Partners for Norfolk Royal Russet

Your trees are self sterile and their flowers must be pollinated to make fruit.
Norfolk Royal Russet is in Pollination Group C, which cross-pollinates with other apple trees in Groups B, C and D.

Use our Fruit Pollination Checker to quickly find pollination partners, or Apple Tree Pollination Guide to learn more.

Growing Mini Patio Trees in Pots:
Dwarf trees do well in large containers of rich potting soil. During summer, it is essential to provide consistent moisture, without overwatering, and to feed lightly. 
Change as much of the compost as you can every three years.

Notes on planting apple trees:
All fruit trees like a rich soil with decent drainage, protection from the wind and plenty of sun. Apple trees like clay soil, as long as it is not prone to bad waterlogging.

Prepare your site before planting:
Improving the soil helps trees establish quickly and be productive for years. Preparing weeks or months in advance gives best results: fill the planting hole back up, don't leave it open to either dry out or fill with water.
Do not plant less than 30cm from a wall.

• Destroy weeds and grass,
• Dig the soil over in a square of at least 1 metre, remove stones, then mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades, unless you are on heavy clay:
• On thick clay soil, only dig over the soil to break it up. Apply organic matter as a mulch over the soil after planting.

Soak the tree roots in water for about an hour before planting.

Spacing apple trees:

• Freestanding bushes: 15-18 feet (5-6m) between trees and rows.
• Freestanding half-standards: 18-30 feet (6-10m) between trees and rows.

In general, allow 1 more metre between rows than between trees along the row.

• Wire-trained cordons: 60-100cm apart along a row.
• Espaliers: 10-18 feet (3.5-6m) apart.

• Watch how to plant a fruit tree for a bush or half-standard.
• To grow a cordon or espalier, you need to install sturdy training wires.

Water well after planting, mulch the dug over area, and water weekly through the first summer. 

Pruning apple trees: 

• Maidens can be pruned in any style, including into bushes or half-standards.
• Bushes - start here when you buy a bush.
• Half-standards - start here when you buy a half-standard.

Accessories:
For bush and half standard apple trees, a tree planting pack, which includes a wooden support stake & rubber tie (a bamboo cane is enough support for a maiden), and a biodegradable mulch mat, with pegs, to preserve soil moisture stops and prevent weeds.

We strongly recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of all transplanted trees.

Winter wash and greasebands are effective, organic pest prevention.

Did You Know?

The original Norfolk Royal, an early 20th century variety, is now quite rare, but was a good seller in its day.
This russet version is a sport (one mutated branch) of that tree, found by retired Royal Air Force chaplain Rev CE Wright in his garden at Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk. It was introduced to the market in 1983 by Highfields Nursery in Gloucester. 
It turned out to be a big improvement on the original in both flavour and looks: not often the case in a sport, which tend to differ only in appearance from their parent.

Apple Tree Delivery Shapes:

Most of our fruit trees are delivered in up to 3 shapes (maiden, bush, and half standard), and you can buy selected varieties as ready-made cordons and/or potted mini patio trees: scroll up to see what's in stock. 

Maiden: Unbranched tree, the most basic starting size, which you can train into the other forms (apart from mini patio trees).
Bush: Freestanding tree with a short trunk about 60cm tall. It will grow to about 3m. Ideal for small gardens.
Half-Standard: A freestanding form with a trunk about 120cm tall. It will grow into a full sized, "normal" apple tree, about 4m. Ideal for orchards, easy to mow underneath.

Cordon: Norfolk Royal Russet is a spur-bearer, suitable for cordons and espaliers.
Mini Patio Tree: Only sold pot-grown, these use a dwarfing rootstock to drastically reduce the tree's vigour and restrict the mature size. They are suitable for large patio containers, and for small gardens where a normal-sized bush or half-standard form won't fit.

Guide to Fruit Tree Sizing.