Bloody Ploughman' Apple Tree
An incredible origin story!
Grown by John
South Downs National Park
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Juicy and mild (dual)
- Stained, pinkish-red flesh
- Cooks down wonderfully into a sauce
- Harvest from September
Description
- There are origin stories... And then there's 'Bloody Ploughman'...
- The tale goes a little something like this: back in the 1800s, a Scottish ploughman was caught by a trigger-happy gamekeeper while scrumping apples from the Megginch Estate. The groundsman promptly put a bullet through the ploughman, ending his life. Combing through the dead man's clothes when his body was returned, the ploughman's wife found a few of the plundered apples stashed away within his pockets, which she discarded on the compost heap. From this, an apple seedling grew and went on to yield dark red, ribbed apples with stained pink flesh - and thus, 'Bloody Ploughman' was born!
- Did this actually happen? Who's to say, but why let truth get in the way of a good story, eh? 'Bloody Ploughman' apples have a delicate, mild flavour profile with just the right levels of sweetness, and can be used for a variety of purposes, including eating fresh, juicing and baking into scrummy, pink-tinged desserts.
- A vigorous grower that's well-suited to harsher conditions and planting in colder climes, 'Bloody Ploughman' yields its apples from the middle of September through to October. The fruit can also usually be stored for a couple of months; check out our article, Storing Apples Picked at Home, for more information on how to properly keep your harvested apples.
- Just to top everything off, this variety is also known for displaying great levels of disease resistance - it really is a tree that has everything going for it.
- Our potted trees are supplied in EcoPots. Eco pots use 70% less plastic and are fully recyclable, unlike normal single use pots. They flex and so produce less root spiralling and travel better in the post.
- Our trees are usually between 18 and 36 months old at the time of dispatch.
- Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching. This formative pruning can involve cutting the main leader, if the expert tree growers decide this will produce a better shaped tree. This can stop the tree becoming "leggy", and promote stronger, bushier growth.
What To Expect
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Eventual height:
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Tasting notes:
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How To Grow
Good pest and disease resistance
Displays good resistance to common problems, including collar rot and woolly aphid.
Water well when establishing
Regularly water your apple tree throughout its first growing season to help it establish. Beyond this, your tree will typically only need additional watering in hot, dry spells.
Full sun
Grows best in full sun (at least six hours of direct sunlight per day).
Any fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Plant your apple tree in fertile soil that has good drainage but that still retains some moisture.
Feed every spring
Give your apple tree a feed with high-potassium fertiliser at the start of spring.
Planting Calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
South Downs National Park
Meet John
110 years' expertise free with every tree
John’s family have been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.
What customers say about us
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Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
We’re confident that you’ll be delighted with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re perfectly happy.
Learn from our experts
Rare Apple Varieties: UK’s Best Heritage Apples
Digging deep to answer your questions
How do I know I'm getting quality plants?
All of our plants are grown in specialist nurseries with the highest standards of plant care and sustainability. We guarantee you'll love them as much as we do! Don't just take our word for it - we've got thousands of great reviews on Trustpilot.
When will I get my plants?
The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.
How will my plants be packed and delivered?
We send all of our orders through a courier network designed to handle plants. Specialist equipment ensures that no plants will be damaged during the packing process and every order is carefully finished and checked by plant-loving humans. Your plants will arrive in the most sustainable packaging possible with minimal to no plastic used.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.
Ask the grower
One of our trusted team will get back to you via email
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I can’t wait to order again, price is good as well.
Peter Mawer
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
John Harris
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. It’s the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
Karen McEwan
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Martin C Simmons
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Sara Bradley
Marvelous!
Marvelous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants😂🌱
Cheryl Mae Owen