Monty's Surprise apple trees

Malus domestica

Monty's Surprise is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

Check pollinators >

Picking season: Late
Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
Flowering group: 3

Monty's Surprise is a late-season dual-purpose apple from New Zealand, primarily used for eating fresh.

The apples are typically quite large, often 300g-400g per apple, with a pale green skin extensively covered wtih red flush.

All apples have anti-oxidants in the skin and flesh and pips, but Monty's Surprise apples typically have very high levels of these compounds, which are thought to be beneficial for human health.

The apples do not keep for long, and juicing is perhaps the best way to preserve the valuable anti-oxidants - the juice can easily be frozen.

Monty's Surprise has average disease-resistance but it is not widely grown so its track-record against scab and canker is not established. It appears somewhat susceptible to fireblight. The skin also bruises extremely easily, and bruised apples will not keep. Even the act of picking the apples by hand needs to be done gently.

Monty's Surprise organic apple trees for sale

Next deliveries: December 2026

11 yeartree on M9 rootstock26.50€
Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
21 yeartree on M116 rootstock27.75€
Medium tree (2m-3.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
31 yeartree on MM111 rootstock26.50€
Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
41 yeartree on Bittenfelder rootstock26.50€
Very large tree (5m-6m+ after 10 years) Bare-root

EU delivery countries

Click here to view estimated delivery charges.

History

The original Monty's Surprise apple tree was found growing as a chance seedling in New Zealand at the end of the 20th century. The lone tree was estimated to be roughly 80-90 years old at the time - so the pip it grew from must have fallen to the ground around the period of the First World War.

You can find out more about the interesting history of Monty's Suprise from Mark Christensen, who helped discover it.

At the end of the First World War the town of Le Quesnoy in northern France where our nursery is now located was liberated by New Zealand troops, who stormed the Middle Age ramparts of the town. Since then close ties have been maintained between the town and New Zealand, and Le Quesnoy is one of two towns in France where ANZAC day is commemorated. In 2018 a Monty's Surprise apple tree was planted at a ceremony to mark 100 years since the event.