Alphabetical Plant Listing

Malus domestica 'Cortland' (Semi-Dwarf Apple)

Apple 'Cortland', Cortland Apple, Malus 'Cortland'


Reliable and productive, Malus domestica 'Cortland' is a dessert cultivar with a profusion of fragrant, pure white flowers in early mid-season (mid-spring). Draped in clusters along the branches, they are truly a sight to behold. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. They are followed in the fall by a heavy crop of medium-sized, yellow-green apples with lots of crimson-red and even bluish accents. The fruit is tender, tart and its sweet white flesh browns slower than most when sliced. It is perfect for eating, snacks, or in a salad. Partially self-fruitful, this apple tree requires pollination by a tree of another variety with the same bloom period such as Granny Smith or Braeburn. Founded more than 120 years ago by horticulturalists in New York State, Cortland enjoys good disease resistance. Beautiful in bloom, heavy with luscious apples, and picturesque when old, apple trees are very rewarding additions to the landscape.

  • Grows up to 12-15 ft. tall and wide (3-5 m).
  • A full sun lover, this tree is easily grown in deep, loamy, moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Prefers a sheltered, frost-free position.
  • Since edible apple cultivars do not grow well on their own roots, most varieties have been grafted onto rootstocks and are classified as dwarf (8-10 ft, 2-3 m), semi-dwarf (12-15 ft, 3-5 m) and standard (18-25 ft, 5-8 m). The fruit itself is full-size and not dwarfed. Dwarf or semi-dwarf apple trees offer some benefits: they produce fruit at an earlier age and are easier to manage (spray, prune and harvest).
  • Apples should be pruned every year to get the best crop. They also need to be thinned to about 8 in. apart (20 cm) if you want to reap the best-quality fruit.
  • This deciduous apple tree adds a charming presence, tucked into a shrub border or planted as a specimen.
  • Keep an eye out for aphids, woolly aphid, rosy apple aphid, fruit tree red spider mite, mussel scale, codling moth, caterpillars, Apple scab, apple canker, powdery mildews, blossom wilt, and honey fungus.
  • Propagate by chip budding or grafting onto a clonal rootstock for fruit.

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Requirements

Hardiness 4 – 8
Plant Type Fruit, Trees
Plant Family Malus - Apples
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Height 12' – 15' (3.6m – 4.5m)
Spread 12' – 15' (3.6m – 4.5m)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance High
Soil Type Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Showy, Fruit & Berries
Attracts Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 4 – 8
Plant Type Fruit, Trees
Plant Family Malus - Apples
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Height 12' – 15' (3.6m – 4.5m)
Spread 12' – 15' (3.6m – 4.5m)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance High
Soil Type Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Showy, Fruit & Berries
Attracts Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage

Guides with Malus - Apples

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