Description
This 3-tier espaliered Cosmic Crisp apple tree turns one of the most exciting modern apples into a compact, highly productive “fruit wall” for fences, courtyards, and tight garden spaces. The horizontal tiers maximize sunlight and airflow, helping Cosmic Crisp develop its signature deep red color, crisp texture, and balanced sweet-tart flavor.
Cosmic Crisp was bred at Washington State University as a cross between Honeycrisp and Enterprise and is known for its juicy crunch, excellent storage life, and remarkably slow browning once cut. It’s an outstanding all-purpose apple for fresh eating, baking, and winter storage.
Grafted onto a dwarfing M-26 rootstock, this espalier stays compact, bears early, and is much easier to prune, train, and harvest than a full-size tree. Cosmic Crisp blooms in mid to late season (Flowering Group 4) and needs a compatible pollination partner nearby for best crops.
Overview
- Single-variety 3-tier espalier of Cosmic Crisp apples.
- Compact, formal structure ideal for fences and narrow beds.
- Dwarfing rootstock keeps the tree manageable and early bearing.
- Exceptional flavor, crispness, and storage life.
- Great for fresh eating, baking, and long-term storage.
Varieties Included
This espalier features a single premium apple variety:
- Cosmic Crisp — large, crisp, juicy apple with a balanced sweet-tart flavor, excellent keeping quality, and flesh that is notably slow to brown once cut.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Malus domestica ‘Cosmic Crisp’
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full day of sun; well-drained soil
Rootstock: M-26 (dwarfing)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 5–9 (often successful in cooler summer regions like the Pacific Northwest)
Bearing Age: 1–3 years
Size at Maturity: Typically maintained at 6–8 ft tall and 6–10 ft wide when espaliered
Bloom Time: Mid to late season (Flowering Group 4)
Ripening Time: Late season—often mid- to late October in cool-summer climates
Pollination: Not self-fertile; requires another apple in Flowering Groups 3–5 planted within 20–30 ft (avoid Honeycrisp and Enterprise as pollinators)
Yield: Heavy cropping with proper thinning and training
Pests & Diseases: Bred for good disease resistance; generally less prone to sunburn and bitter pit than many modern apples
Additional Notes
- Nerdy fact: Cosmic Crisp was developed over more than 20 years at Washington State University and selected in part for its unusually high acidity and sugar levels, which give it both intense flavor and excellent storage quality.
- Espalier training improves color and makes it easier to manage fruit load on a dwarfing rootstock.
- Thin fruit clusters to one or two apples per spur for size, flavor, and to protect branches from breaking.
- Explore more apple varieties in our collection: Apple Trees
