Columnar Apple Tree Progress Report. 7.14.19

Columnar Apple NorthPole, Transplanted Fall 2017.  7.14.19

New Columnar Apple Golden Treat.  7.14.19

 Here are some of the columnar apple trees.  As I age and become less able, I think they will be a great way to have home grown apples, easy to care for, prune, and harvest fruit.  They are also easy to grow in a fenced in bed, for protection from deer.

Some day I'll summarize my findings and experiences with columnar apple trees.  I've grown NorthPole for nearly 20 years.  Northpole is descended from excellent parents, one being MacIntosh, and has great flavor for fresh eating, pies, and apple sauce.  It's no novelty.  The main problem is it seems to bear in alternate years, if apples are not properly thinned each year.

The 2 NorthPole apple trees in my fenced bed are my own grafts, from unknown ("dwarf" or "semidwarf") rootstock that I obtained from suckers off a tree that had been removed.  That's not a good way to know what is happening.  Those trees are growing well.  I transplanted one at a large size - more than 6 feet tall - in fall, 2017, and one at about the same size in fall 2018.  Both have a few apples.  I don't expect much one to two years after transplanting.  I also transplanted the Golden Sentinel, much larger tree and much smaller rootstock, last fall.  It has no apples but is growing very nicely.  This year I added to sapling size trees, Tasty Red and Golden Treat, which have settled in and are growing nicely.  They probably wont bear for a few years.

To make up for my random rootstock experimentation, this year I grafted NorthPole onto Bud-9 rootstocks.  I also grafted Golden Sentinel and Scarlet Sentinel, which as far as I can tell from a long time searching patent literature, have never been patented in the USA.  Ditto for NorthPole, which as far as I can tell is past its patent or was not patented in the USA.    I'm growing four of those in containers - one did not take, and died.  I also have three in the soil, near two other apple trees, protected by fencing.  Those are also growing nicely.

Columnar Apple "Golden Sentinel" Transplanted 10/2018.  7.14.19

The goal with trying Bud-9 is to see if I can make a reliably compact, early bearing, either container size or garden bed size columnar apple tree from these varieties.  Since the grafts took for 7 of these trees, I have enough to play with during the coming years.

I need to add photos of the other trees, including the 19 year old NorthPole on unknown rootstock - maybe not dwarfing? - which is a handsome tree, and which I now have ideas about keeping relatively compact and suitable for a suburban yard. 

Healing Whip and Tongue Graft, NorthPole apple on Bud-9 Dwarfing Rootstock.  7.14.19

Columnar Apple Trees Grafted to Bud-9 Dwarfing Rootstock.  7.14.19

Columnar Apple Trees. 3.25.19

Northpole, 19 years old.  3.25.19

I've been growing a Northpole™ columnar apple for about 18 years.  In 2012 I added columnar Scarlet Sentinel™ and Golden™ Sentinel.   This year, I also added columnar  Urban Apples®, "Tasty Red®" and "Golden Treat®".  Next door to my old place in Vancouver is a gigantic old apple tree that gets no maintenance and has a high insect and disease load, so the Northpole™ suffers from that contagion.  Even so, they are a nice McIntosh-like apple.  Last year I had a few dozen nice, crisp, juicy, good looking, tasty apples from that tree, suitable for fresh eating, apple sauce, and pies.   The tree does require some pruning to keep it the right shape and size.  That pruning is not a challenge unless I let it go a few years.

Nurseries have been promoting columnar apple trees for a generation now.  Columnar apple trees are not a pruning technique, but rather the way that those trees tend to grow naturally. The gene for the columnar shape (Co/co)  is known, and causes thick stems, short internodes, and reduced side branches.  The columnar form is dominant, meaning that if the columnar and normal genes are both present, the tree will still be columnar.  However, there are other controlling factors, and in one study of tree and spur shapes, involving 28,000 apple seedlings, 44% of seedlings that were grown from columnar x columnar trees had a columnar shape.

Columnar apple trees look cool in the photos, and the concept is interesting.  A columnar tree takes up much less garden floor space compared to a mid range semi-dwarf tree, but about like a micro-mini apple on M27.  However, unlike the mini apples, the columnar trees can grow taller, for a bigger crop. Some articles propose that columnar trees could be advantageous in commercial orchards, due to the ability to plant them close together and not have to prune as much.  Height and shape depend on vigor, rootstock, and pruning.  Several can be planted as columnar accent trees in a yard, or in a row as a hedge, looking very nice when in bloom and fruit, and even when leafless.

Almost all columnar apple trees are descended from a single sport mutation found in 1961, on one McIntosh apple tree in Vancouver, Canada.  That sport mutation was commercialized and sold as "McIntosh Wijcik."   If crossed with any other apple variety, you should get roughly one half columnar and roughly one half normal progeny.  The actual percentage will depend on whether the columnar parent has one or two copies of the columnar gene.  The columnar mutation has been traced to a single gene. First generation hybrids have 50% McIntosh in their makeup. In subsequent generations the McIntosh DNA dilutes out, but if you keep only the columnar progeny, they will all have columnar shape regardless of what the apple looks like.

Northpole, 19 years old.  3.25.19

Since columnar apple trees are all descended from a single sport on a single tree, they all have at least a little McIntosh in their ancestry.  However, if they are out-crossed for a few generations, the 2nd generation is 50% McIntosh, the 3rd generation is 25% McIntosh, and the 4th generation is 12.5% McIntosh.  And so on.  Little information is readily available regarding how many generations most columnar trees are, from their original Macintosh progenitor.  In theory, you could make a very flavorful, disease resistant columnar apple tree cultivar if you are so motivated, young, live long enough, and use promising parents. For example, using one of the PRI disease resistant varieties as a parent, or  possibly one of the disease resistant redflesh apples, could result in unique and good tasting, disease resistant columnar apple trees.

Some other names for Columnar apple trees include Colonnade®, Ballerina®, and Urban Apple® trees.

For example, the Ballerina® series, from Orange Pippin and originating in the UK, descend from Wijick. They appear to be trademarked, I'm not sure about patent.   Examples are Flamenco® and "Samba® "protected varieties.  Samba® is described as a cross of Flamenco® x Fallstaff® and has side shoots which can become vertical".  From the internet catalog description, I'm not convinced that Samba® is truly a columnar variety.

Each columnar apple tree series has its own selections, such as a red variety, a green one, and a yellow one.   For example, the "Urban Apples®" developed in Czechoslovakia by Dr Jaroslav Tupy, include those three colors and a "blush" color.  I'm not sure about the protected status of these trees, for home grafters.  I spent a lot of time looking for patent information for that series, but found patent only on "Blushing Delight®" under the name "Moonlight®" (cross between Goldstar and Telamon).  Patent info.   I found trademark notations for the others (Tasty Red®, Golden Treat®, and Tasty Green®) which does not restrict propagation but prevents you from calling the propagated trees by the trademarked names.  I don't know the best solution for that issue - maybe (and I'm not a patent or trademark lawyer) call one something like "Red Lancelot" and note "compare to Scarlett Sentinel™ as an example?

One columnar apple progeny was Golden Sentinel™. That was being trialed in 1996 in Canada - where Wijcik originated- but I think NorthPole™ is older. I am pretty sure my North Pole tree is at least 19 years old, and I doubt it was one of the earliest ones.  Scarlett Sentinel™ looks to be progeny of the same parents as Golden Sentinel, just a different sibling.  According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, "'Golden Sentinel' originated from a cross made in 1986 at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, in Summerland, British Columbia. The cross was 'Discovery' x 8C-17-36. 8C-17-36 originated from a Wijcik Spur MacIntosh x Delicious cross."

Regarding Scarlett Sentinel™, the same Canadian reference states "'Scarlett Sentinel' originated from a cross made in 1986 at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, in Summerland, British Columbia. The cross was 'Discovery' x 8C-17-36. 8C-17-36 originated from a Wijcik Spur MacIntosh x Delicious cross.

Both Scarlett Sentinel™ and Golden Sentinel™ are protected in Canada until  2020-03-04, but I could not find that these trees are patented in the USA.  Due to uncertainty, I have not shared scion for these two cultivars.

Orange Pippin describes "Discovery", one of the parents of the Sentinel trees, as one of the most important English apples, a hybrid between Worcester Permain and an unknown parent, possibly "Beauty of Bath".  That makes both Scarlet Sentinel and Golden Sentinel hybrids with solid apple parentage - (Macintosh (Wijcyk) x Delicious) x (Worcester Pearmain x unknown). 

Examples of crosses with Wijcik or its progeny - again, actually McIntosh, include:

Obelisk® - "Developed in UK at East Malling, (Cox's Orange Pippin x Court Pendu Plat) x Wijcik
(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,382).  Patent for Obelisk expired 2014-01-10.  "attractive small to medium sized fruit having a yellow ground color with a high degree of somewhat striped rich maroon red overcolor that commonly can be cold-stored until approximately April while present in an ambient atmosphere".  In the patent information, Obelisk® was to be marketed under the "Flamenco®" name.

Rosalee® "a cross between ‘Aneta’ (female parent, unpatented) and ‘Maypole’ (male parent, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,184). and which has V_f-resistance against scab, Telemon "Wijcik variety (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,382) of McIntosh apple tree, and the Golden Delicious apple tree.", patent expires 2033-05-16

Dalitron® -  Parents listed as ‘Golden Delicious’ and pollen parent ‘Pilot’.  Patent expires 2024-11-13

Hercules® The female parent (i.e., the seed parent) was the Wijcik variety (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,382) and the male parent (i.e., pollen parent) was the Greensleeves variety (non-patented in the United States),  Patent expired 2014-01-10.  Also known as "Charlotte".

Maypole®  An ornamental crabapple.  The parents of the new variety were the Wijcik variety (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,382 vs. 6184) of McIntosh apple tree, and Malus Baskatong.  The patent for Maypole expired 2006-04-15.

Goldlane®. An apple tree devoloped in Czech Republic by, and patented by, Jaroslav Tupy et al, who developed the Urban Apple series.   Scab resistant.  Patent expires 2029-01-07.
Bolero (Tuscan).  US Plant Patent 6225

Telamon® (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,224)   Telemon is also known as "Waltz®" US Plant Patent Number 6,224.  Patent expired 2006-04-15.  A UK, East Malling cross, Golden Delicious x Wijcik.  "medium-sized asymmetric generally round-conical fruit havig a yellow-green skin coloration bearing a substantial quantity of red flush.

Trajan®.  Also a UK, East Malling cross, parentage Golden Delicious x Wijcik.  (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,226)  The patent for Trajan expired 2006-04-15.  "medium-sized asymmetric generally round-conical fruit having a yellow-green skin coloration with a red flush having prominent lenticels".

Jefgreen® - a colmunar, cold hardy, flowering crabapple  USPP23863P2 expires 2032-02-10

There are also two columnar mutations known from the cultivar "Cripps Pink®" that are not derived from McIntosh Wijcik but rather are spontaneous mutations directly from Cripps Pink® and are patented.  One is "Pink Chief®" (US Patent PP27187P3, expires in 2034), while the other is ‘PLFOG99’ (syn. ‘Pink Belle®’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,555).   Since these are two spontaneous mutations of Cripps Pink®, maybe that variety has some genetic instability, or maybe the columnar mutations will be more commonly found in the future for other cultivars.


(Part of this post is derived from info that I posted previously on GardenWeb in a different way.  I am adding significantly to that info and providing references here.  Patent information and links are provided so that it's as clear as I can make it, as to what varieties are or are not patented.  It can be confusing because some cultivars are actually renamed versions of others.)  Since I've become more interested in columnar apples, I plan to post photos of the trees as the bloom and produce this year, and better reviews of the trees and apples from my own orchard and yard.  For any one interested in the patent and trademark info, please know that I am an amateur, so propagate at your own risk.  I don't have nursery sources for the older columnar varieties but would like to find some.)

Edit:  I removed Antietam Blush, which is bred from McIntosh Wijcik but in the videos and internet information, I don't see that it is columnar

Apple Blossom Time. 4.7.16

Standing next to NorthPole Apple.  4.7.16

 Here are the current blooming apples in the Vancouver yard.  This is all of my varieties there.  They are all early.

The NorthPole apple is about 15 years old.  It's a nice shape and appearance.  Difficult to find photos of such an old columnar apple tree. 

The newer Northpole is a graft I did on rootstock sprouts from an old apple tree.  I think this is dwarf or semidwarf rootstock, but I'm not sure.  Northpole is off patent, so it's OK to use as scion.

The other apple trees are on M27.  This is too dwarfing for me, but this year they look like they will be productive.  I played the bee and collected pollen from the pollen fertile varieties - Northpole, Liberty - and transferred to each other and to the pollen-sterile Jonagold.  I love the Jonagold apples, hope I get a good crop this year.

No photos now, but at Battleground the other columnar trees, Scarlet Sentinel and Golden Sentinel are also blooming, as is Queen Cox. 

Jonagold on 27.  4.7.16

Liberty on M27. 4.7.16

New NorthPole Apple, at 2nd leaf.  4.7.16

Apple blossoms. 4.16.14

At Vancouver, North Pole and Liberty are in beautiful full bloom.

Apple "Scarlet Sentinel"

Crabapple "Prairie Fire"

Apple "Karmijn de Sonneville"

At battleground, there are the first blossoms open today for Golden Sentinel, Scarlet Sentinel, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Karmijn de Sonneville, and the Prairie Fire Crabapple.  So all of the diploids should be able to pollinate all of the others of these varieties.   That just leaves the grafts and newly planted trees.

The Jonared I planted last month is starting to leaf out.  The triple graft I planted in jan is leafing out too.

Honeycrisp with 1st growth of Liberty graft

The new grafts are slower to leaf out.  They need to establish full connection into the stock vascular supply.