Does anyone know anything about apples Elstar and Rode boskoop? I have just bought these apples trees bare root and there is no information with them. So far I am particularly having trouble with Rode boskoop, other than it being a Dutch name I can find nothing on the net. I want to know its keeping quality and polination group and what it tastes like together with any problems that it is prone to. Thanks, Angela
I'm curious why you chose to buy those particular varieties having no information about them.
Elstar apparenly flowers in mid May according to Brogsdale (in England). The describe the fruit as sweet, crisp and juicy. Ripening in early October and keeping (natural storage) October-December. That doesn't sound very long to me, but I'm thinking of apples like Fuji and Honeycrisp.
Vlaanderens Roem Rode Boskoop "Fruits have soft, fine, creamy white flesh with a sweet, subacid flavour." It finishes blooming a few days after Elstar begins. There isn't too much overlap but if those were the only two trees in the area there would probably be some cross-pollination. Ripening and picking dates seem to line up with Elstar.
The brogdale site has pictures of each.
http://www.brogdale.org.uk/nfc.....?plantid=7
If you can use Google type "elstar apple" (without the quotes) and the very first link has plenty of good information. http://www.orangepippin.com/elstar.htm
Rode Boskoop brings up plenty of links in Google, but they aren't very useful if you don't speak Dutch. One of them indicates that it is the same as "Boskoop Rouge", for which there are English language hits. This is one http://pepinieres-arbres-fruitiers-form ... ieteUK.htm
Thanks for all your replies, much appreciated. I bought these two trees on an impulse - I do my retail therapy at the garden centre or anywhere that sells plants. I seem to get hooked on topics last year was clematis, I have well over 100 different varieties. I had seen a write up on Estar some years ago but knew nothing about Rode Boskoop. I have a really good apple identification book and I hoped it would be in there but it wasn't. I then spent hours on the net to no avail. I think it may not have been a very sensible buy as it sounds like Lord Lambourne which is rather too acid for any of us and I inherited 4 trees of them! I'm am considering felling a couple to make way for some new ones Winston was lovely but my pet pigs ransacked the tree and broke it it was only a baby and I only have a small piece of trunk left it was only 3 years old and the first year it fruited.
The guy that runs Orange Pippin is a good friend of mine, I notice that you ask about Ribston Pippin, it's one of his favourites, unfortunately I've never tasted it. The best way to taste would be to find an Apple Day that has that variety on offer, http://www.commonground.org.uk.....index.html lists a lot of UK apple events. I think Adam at Talaton plants (http://www.talatonplants.co.uk) offers it as a tree, not too far from you either.
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