Anna Apple Tree

Anna Apple (Malus domestica 'Anna') is the apple for gardeners who were told their climate was too warm to grow one. It is a low chill variety, so it sets fruit in subtropical and warm temperate gardens where traditional apples never break dormancy properly, and it stays a manageable 3m tall and 2.5m wide. Pink budded white blossom in late winter is followed by crisp, blushed red fruit from early summer.

Why you'll love it

• It fruits in warm gardens. Low chill breeding means Brisbane, Perth and Sydney gardens can grow a real apple, not just a blossom tree.
• Early cropping. Fruit ripens from early summer, weeks ahead of standard varieties, and young trees often crop within two to three years.
• A tree for a small block. At 3m by 2.5m it fits a suburban back garden or a large pot rather than demanding an orchard.
• Roots that behave. Non-invasive roots let you plant it near paving or a boundary without worrying about lifted concrete.
• Blossom the bees want. Late winter blossom is real pollinator food before the rest of the garden wakes up.

Where it works best

As a small feature tree. Blossom in late winter and fruit through summer earn it a front lawn or courtyard position, not just a back corner.

In a small garden or edible bed. Allow 3m clearance from a wall or fence. A second low chill apple within about 5m lifts the crop noticeably.

In a large pot. A container 500mm or wider holds it at around 2m, which suits a courtyard or a rented garden.

Growing Anna Apple in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum, with air movement to keep the leaves dry. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is both frost hardy and heat tolerant. In cool temperate gardens it crops well, simply later in the season.

Soil. Deep, well drained soil enriched with compost. Apples dislike wet roots, so raise the planting on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, and never let a tree carrying fruit go dry, because that causes small apples and early drop. Feed a complete fertiliser in late winter and again after harvest.

Pruning. Prune in winter while the tree is bare. Build an open vase of four or five main limbs, remove crossing growth, and thin heavy fruit clusters in early summer so the rest size up properly.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is supplied in one size, a 400mm pot, grown to order rather than held in stock, so allow time for it to be prepared before dispatch. A 400mm tree already has a defined framework, usually chest height, and is well past the fragile stage.

It is deciduous, so a tree sent between late autumn and early spring arrives bare or nearly so. That is normal, not a fault, and the buds break as soon as the soil warms. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planting and caring for fruit trees through the seasons
• Compare varieties in the apple tree collection.
• Browse the wider fruit tree range.
• See what else you can grow to eat in our edible plants range.

Common questions

Do I need a second tree for it to fruit?

Anna sets some fruit on its own, but the crop is markedly better with a second low chill apple flowering at the same time nearby. Standard high chill varieties will not reliably overlap with it in a warm garden.

How warm a climate can it handle?

It was bred for low chill conditions and crops in subtropical gardens where other apples simply produce leaves. In the wet tropics humidity becomes the limiting factor rather than chill hours.

How long until I get apples?

Expect light blossom in the first or second spring and a useful crop from year three, earlier than most apples because this variety fruits young.