Malus Domestica Pink Lady or Cripps Pink Apple Tree

Malus is a large genus of over 25 species of deciduous trees known for their beautiful spring blossom and in most cases, fruit. Malus Domestica is the orchard apple species cultivated for its fruit throughout the temperate regions of the world. 

Malus Pink Lady is a fruit tree variety familiar to many of us as it is a popular commercially grown variety around the world, prized for its crisp firm fruits that store very well. 

Malus Domestica Pink Lady is also known botanically as Malus Domestica Cripps Pink. This is a late season hybrid dessert apple and is a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Lady Williams varieties. 

In spring, beautiful pink and white blossom appear on bare branches, followed by the emergence of mid-green foliage which turns to yellow in autumn. Fruits develop over the summer months into mid to large size apples. The fruit is very crisp with a distinct sweet tart flavour. It has white flesh, not so prone to browning. The skin has a reddish pink over green colour when the apples are ripe. As this is a late apple, fruit can generally be harvested in late autumn, around the end of October. Ripe fruit can then be stored for at least 3 months. 

Ideal pollinators for Malus Domestica Pink Lady include varieties from group 2 (Egremont Russet apple), group 3 (Discovery Apple) and group 4 (Braeburn Apple). 

In terms of origins, Cripps Pink was bred in Australia in the 1970s by the eponymous John Cripps. Since its first introduction to the commercial market in the 1980s, the Pink Lady apple is now grown worldwide.  

Height And Spread of Malus Domestica Pink Lady
When left to its own devices, Cripps Pink or the Pink Lady apple can grow to a height and width of 4 – 8 metres. However please note that as most apple trees these day are on grafted rootstock, eventual tree height will depend on the rootstock and training method. 

How Hardy Is Malus Domestica Pink Lady 
Cripps Pink or the Pink Lady apple is fully hardy to minus 20 in the UK. 

How To Use Malus Domestica Pink Lady 
The Pink Lady apple is ideal for cottage or informal gardens. It suits wildlife-friendly, low-maintenance gardens as part of a colourful landscape scheme. It is also an excellent addition to any orchard garden. 

For smaller urban gardens, the Pink Lady apple tree can be grown in a space saving format, such as when trained as a pleached tree or as an espaliered fruit tree to be grown for example against a sunny wall. Follow the link for more information on pleached fruit trees. 

How To Care For Malus Domestica Pink Lady
In terms of aspect, Cripps Pink or the Pink Lady apple thrives in full sun. It likes rich, organic well-drained neutral soil in any sheltered sunny position. Best not to plant in very acidic or very chalky soils. Prune your apple tree in winter if possible, when the tree is dormant, ideally between November and February.