Sign 7
Orchard Tour Starts Here!
Apple ‘Honeycrisp’
Malus domestica
- Bloom Time:
- April–May
- Family:
- Rose (Rosaceae)
- Form:
- Tree, Fruit
Tree
Description: The Honeycrisp Apple tree typically blooms in April–May, with fragrant white-pink blossoms that attract bees, birds and butterflies. This is followed by a late-summer/early-fall harvest. This fruit tree can grow to approximately 20’ tall.
Apples have fed, flavored, & healed people for millennia, enjoyed fresh, as cider, and in vinegar folk remedies. Orchards anchored New England farm life, while apple wood remains prized for smoking foods and hearths. “An apple a day” reflects its enduring association with good health.
Photo: MikeyMoose, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More plant info
What to look for
Honeycrisp blooms in late April or May with white-pink blossoms that bring in bees. The apples ripen from late summer into early fall: large, red over yellow, and famously crisp and juicy.
The story behind it
Honeycrisp was bred at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center. It was tested as MN1711 starting in 1974, was nearly thrown out, and was finally released in 1991. Its crisp texture made it a turning point for the apple industry, and in 2006 it became Minnesota’s state fruit.
Growing it at home
Like most apples, Honeycrisp needs a different apple or crabapple variety blooming nearby to set fruit. It is very cold-hardy, which suits New England winters.
Sources
Guided tours of the arboretum are free, by appointment. Text Mary at 978-887-4202.