Apple, Pink Lady®, Bare Root

Apple, Pink Lady® (Malus domestica 'Cripps Pink')

Pink Lady® is a premium late-season apple known for its vibrant pink blush, firm texture, and complex, sweet-tart flavor. Bred in Australia in the 1970s as a cross between ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Lady Williams,’ Pink Lady® (cultivar name ‘Cripps Pink’) requires a long growing season and lots of sunshine to develop its signature color and crispness. It's an excellent apple for fresh eating, salads, and baking—holding its texture exceptionally well. With good disease resistance, long storage potential, and unmatched flavor, Pink Lady® is a standout variety for orchardists in warm, temperate regions with long growing seasons.

Key Characteristics

• Exceptionally crisp, sweet-tart fruit
  Pink Lady® apples have a firm, dense bite and a lively flavor combining honeyed sweetness with bright acidity. The balance of sugars and acids makes them ideal for eating fresh, slicing into salads, or baking into pies and tarts.
• Long ripening season and excellent keeper
  This is one of the latest ripening apples, harvested in October to early November. Fruit stores exceptionally well, retaining flavor and crunch for up to 6 months—perfect for extending fresh apple availability well into winter.
• Requires a warm climate and long growing season
  Pink Lady® needs around 700–800 chill hours and a long, frost-free season to fully ripen and develop color. Best suited to regions with mild falls and hot summers (Zones 6–9), it may not reliably mature in colder areas.
• Naturally resistant to disease
  Pink Lady® shows good resistance to fire blight and mildew, making it a strong performer in low-spray or organic orchard systems. Proper pruning and good airflow improve fruit quality and reduce disease pressure further.
• Ideal for diverse orchard systems and home orchards
  With its long season, crisp texture, and broad appeal, Pink Lady® adds value to multi-variety orchards. It’s also a beautiful tree in the landscape, with its pink-blushed fruit, white blooms, and dense green foliage. A favorite for farm stands and CSA shares.

Product Details

• Sun requirements: Full sun
• Soil requirements: Medium, well-drained
• Bloom time: Mid to late season
• Bloom color: White
• Fruit qualities: Medium to large, pink blush over yellow, firm, crisp, sweet-tart
• Fruit uses: Fresh eating, salads, baking, long-term storage
• Fruit ripening month: October to early November
• Required chill hours: ~700–800
• Pollination requirements: Not self-fertile. Best pollinators include:
• Apple, Fuji
• Apple, Granny Smith
• Apple, Gala
• Apple, Enterprise
• Apple, Gold Rush
• Apple, Liberty
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6–9

Pink Lady® is a premium-quality apple for growers with long, warm seasons. Its vibrant color, long storage life, and crisp, complex flavor make it a must-have for fresh-market growers, food forests, and home orchardists alike.