Apple Julia's Late Gold (51) & also (57)

The apple is a chance seedling that sprang up in a rough patch of ground in a garden in Codford, Wiltshire. (Sept 2002)

 The product of a core thrown into the shrubbery which had grown unnoticed for two or three years, and was laden with golden fruit. These proved good to eat, excellent for ‘Tart Tatin’ – as the slices of apple kept their shape when cooked – and it made a flavoursome juice.

Julia’s Late Golden named by Mary Hember after her daughter who died in her early thirties from leukaemia.

In the following years the tree cropped heavily and regularly and it flowered late giving the blossom a good chance of escaping any late spring frosts. The fruits ripened to deep yellow, often blushed with colour, and stored well. This chance seedling had produced a multi-purpose apple with a number of points of recommendation.

Mary decided to bring the apple to wider notice and at the same time raise funds for research into leukeamia, the disease that had so cruelly taken Julia’s life away in 2003. Triscombe Nurseries agreed to propagate trees, a bundle of scion wood went off from Wiltshire to Somerset and the Nurseries introduced ‘Julia’s Late Golden’ in their 2007 catalogue. For every tree sold a donation is made to Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, where Julia was treated.

Wiltshire has adopted Julia’s Late Golden as one of the county’s own indigenous apples. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is planting it in their community orchards and it has even found a place in a royal garden. When the Queen visited Wiltshire in 2012, she was presented with a tree, which is now growing at Windsor Castle.

https://www.frankpmatthews.com/catalogue/fruit-trees/apple/julias-late-golden/#additional-details

Julia's Late Golden™ | Frank P Matthews

https://fruitforum.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/julias-late-golden-a-new-apple-with-a-mission/

https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/fruit-trees/rootstocks

Name of rootstock: MM106 (semi-dwarfing)

Suitable for: All forms except standards

Start fruiting: After three or four years

Ultimate height as trained as bush: 3-4m (10-13ft) x 4m (13ft)

Growing conditions: Tolerant of a range of soils including grassed orchards and poor soils. The most widely used rootstock, but unsuitable for small gardens.

Staking: 5 years; longer in exposed locations

Spacing: 3.6 (12ft) with 4.5m (15ft) between the rows