Is there any hope for this apple tree?

[KingscoteStaff]

Here is a horrible warning to keep your apple trees pruned as you go along. It is in the south west corner of our small terrace garden.

Big trunks were obviously sawn off which has given it an ugly shape and made it send up all that whippy vertical growth.

Not much blossom/fruit last year and lots of the leaves were curly.

I feel there’s nothing for it but to cut down, grub out and replace with another garden tree, although I suppose I could prune it to a stump and cover it with a rose/clematis?

Ours does that. We keep it pruned back as otherwise blocks out too much sun - annual job!

The apples are always very bitter, even for cooking so not too worried about fruit side of things.

I’d take it out and put in a new small tree or fruit tree. Someone has roughly hacked that and it doesn’t look worth saving. Just my opinion. We have an old Apple that my DH prunes it’s got a nice round crown and lots of decent sized branches. The apples are only good for cookers though.

I think you’re right bagpuss. The garden’s too small to give space to anything that isn’t really lovely.

Now to pick a new tree, I guess ...

If you wanted to replace it with an apple, there are more-dwarfing rootstocks available now than when that was planted. So keeping it to size wouldn't be such a problem. Brownlees Russet has beautiful pink blossom.

Thank you MereDint - I was hoping you would come along!

Lord only knows how much effort it will take to dig the original one out, though...