Sunset apple
Popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, and has a similar flavour albeit lacking some of the depth.
Sunset is a popular Cox-style apple, widely recommended as an alternative to Cox's Orange Pippin as it is much easier to grow. The parentage is not known but it is almost certainly a seedling of Cox. Disease resistance is far better, and cropping is good. It is also self-fertile, which is fairly unusual in apples and means it can be grown without the usual requirement for a pollination partner.
Like Cox it is a mid-season variety, ripening slightly ahead of Cox - so expect to pick around mid-September in northern Europe. Sunset does not keep especially well, and is best stored in a refrigerator, where it will last a month or so.
The main horticultural problem is that the fruit tends to be small, but this is easily corrected by thinning the fruitlets as the develop in May and June.
Visually Sunset is quite close to Cox's Orange Pippin, but often with a slightly more yellow hue to the characteristic orange flush.
Our main concern with Sunset is that the flavour can be very variable. There is no doubt that in principle it is quite close to Cox, with similar aromatic qualities and good sweetness. However whilst it invariably crops well in both good and bad seasons, the flavour can be very disappointing in a poor year - although even then it remains a crisp and sweet apple. We have also had reports that flavour varies quite noticeably between M9 and MM106 rootstocks (with M9 producing a better flavour). We therefore think its popular billing as a "Cox substitute" should be taken with caution.
However, taking it purely on its own merits, Sunset is undoubtedly a good apple for the northern European gardener, crisp, sweet-flavoured, reliable cropping, easy to grow ... and in a good year the promise of some of the aromatic flavours of Cox too.
Summary
- Species: Malus domestica
- Parentage: Cox's Orange Pippin
- Origin: Kent, England, United Kingdom
- Introduced: 1918
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 105900
Identification
- Bultitude apple group: 7. Flushed / striped, some russeting, sweet
Using
- Good for eating fresh
- Flavour quality: Good
- Flavour style: Aromatic
- Use / keeping: 2-3 weeks
Growing
- Cropping: Heavy
- Flowering group: 3
- Fertility: Self-fertile
- Triploid: No
- Vigour: Average growth
- Gardening skill: Very easy
Climate
- Suitable for temperate climates
- Suitable for N. England?: Yes
Other qualities
- RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Relationships to other varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- Cox's Orange Pippin (parent) - Sunset is probably a seedling of Cox
Offspring of this variety:
- Pixie (distant descendant)
Sunset identification photos from official fruit collections
Sunset identification photos from website visitors
Fruit tree register
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.
The following Sunset trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.
You can also view these trees on a map.
United Kingdom
- A Elsbury in CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
- Alison Underwood in COLWYN BAY, NORTH WALES
- Charlotte in HARROGATE, NORTH YORKSHIRE
- Chris in Lancashire, UK
- Clare Burrows in BODORGAN, Anglesey
- Colin Bowen in
- David Smith in Leeds, Yorkshire England
- Erica Wendy Czajkowski in LINCOLN, LINCS
- Graham Charles Schofield in NEWMARKET, Suffolk
- Graham Hinchliffe in EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX
- Ian Mcintyre in WAKEFIELD, West Yorkshire
- Ian Mcintyre in WAKEFIELD, West Yorkshire
- John Mullen in KILMARNOCK, ayrshire
- Jonathan Dodd in Briston, Norfolk
- Keith Freeman in Honiton, East Devon
- Kenneth Gubbins in CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
- Kevinincornwall in LISKEARD, UNITED KINGDOM
- Lynne in Leics, England
- Margaret Brooker in Ellerker, East Yorkshire
- Marian Fitch in STREET, SOMERSET
- Mark Brisbane in WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE
- Mrs Stephanie Bond in STOURTON CAUNDLE, DORSET
- Paul Collins in Warminster, WILTSHIRE
- Peter Brooks in ICKENHAM, MIDDLESEX
- Peter Radmore in PORT TALBOT, SOUTH WALES UK
- Philip Wray in ANDOVER, HAMPSHIRE
- Pip Al-Khafaji in RYE, EAST SUSSEX
- Robert in MIDGHAM, Berks
- Robert@Ankeow.Freeserve.Co.Uk in Newquay, Cornwall
- Roy Stephenson in NORTH SHIELDS, TYNE AND WEAR
- Sally in DERBYSHIRE
- Terry Smith in HUNTINGFORD, DORSET
- Tim Skelton in Durham, County Durham
Latest Spring blossom records for this variety
2011 season
- 13th April 2011 - tree owned by Keith in Honiton, United Kingdom
- 12th April 2011 - tree owned by A in CHIPPENHAM, United Kingdom
- 10th April 2011 - tree owned by Erica in LINCOLN, United Kingdom
- April 2011 - tree owned by Roy in NORTH SHIELDS, United Kingdom
2010 season
- 6th May 2010 - tree owned by Robert@Ankeow.Freeserve.Co.Uk in Newquay, United Kingdom
- May 2010 - tree owned by Pip in RYE, United Kingdom
- 28th April 2010 - tree owned by Marian in STREET, United Kingdom
2009 season
- May 2009 - tree owned by Pip in RYE, United Kingdom
Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.
Latest harvest records for this variety
2011 season
- October 2011 - tree owned by Roy in NORTH SHIELDS, United Kingdom
- September 2011 - tree owned by Peter in ICKENHAM, United Kingdom
2010 season
- 3rd week October 2010 - tree owned by Pip in RYE, United Kingdom
2009 season
- 2nd week October 2009 - tree owned by Clare in BODORGAN, United Kingdom
Mature heights for Sunset trees
This table shows the likely mature height for a Sunset tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.
| Rootstock | Soil quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below average | Average | Above average | Very good | |
| P22 | 2.5 ft 0.8 m |
3.1 ft 0.9 m |
3.7 ft 1.1 m |
4.3 ft 1.3 m |
4.9 ft 1.5 m |
| M27 | 2.8 ft 0.9 m |
3.5 ft 1.1 m |
4.2 ft 1.3 m |
4.9 ft 1.5 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
| M9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Bud.9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 16 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 11 | 4.9 ft 1.5 m |
6.1 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.6 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
| M26 | 5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.6 ft 2.0 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.2 ft 2.8 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
| Geneva 30 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| MM102 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| M7 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| M116 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| MM106 | 7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.8 ft 2.7 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.3 ft 3.8 m |
14.0 ft 4.3 m |
| MM111 | 8.4 ft 2.6 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
14.7 ft 4.5 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
| Bud.118 | 9.1 ft 2.8 m |
11.4 ft 3.5 m |
13.7 ft 4.2 m |
15.9 ft 4.9 m |
18.2 ft 5.6 m |
| M25 | 10.5 ft 3.2 m |
13.1 ft 4.0 m |
15.8 ft 4.8 m |
18.4 ft 5.6 m |
21.0 ft 6.4 m |
From an idea by N. Buck - more details.
Where to buy apple trees
The following fruit tree nurseries offer Sunset apple trees for sale:
-
Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (UK)
United Kingdom Supplier's website >>
Where to buy apples
The following orchards and suppliers offer Sunset apples for sale. map >
United Statesmap >
-
Mainemap >
- Lamb Abbey Orchards, Union
United Kingdommap >
-
England - midlandsmap >
-
England - south-westmap >
- Charlton Orchards, Taunton
Rate this variety for flavor