Discover Arbor Garden Centre and Nursery's Beautiful Plants

Ambrosia apples are an apple cultivar created in Canada in the early 1990s, the ambrosia apple tree is famous for its colour, juice content, sweetness, and overall flavour, making it one of the most purchased apples in many countries. 

The original tree was first cultivated by the Mennell family of Cawston, British Columbia, who discovered it growing from a chance seedling in their orchard in a row of Jonagold apple trees. It is named after the mythical food of the Greek gods. The Ambrosia is suspected to be a cross of the Starking Delicious and the Golden Delicious because those apples existed in the orchard where the Ambrosia was discovered growing.

Pollination: Apple trees are not self-fertile. Plant two or more apple trees of different varieties within 15-30 meters (50-100 ft) to ensure the flowers are pollinated and develop fruit.  

Flowers blossom: Mid spring

Fruit ripens: September - October

Fruit:  Ambrosia apples are medium to large, bi-colored apples with a sweet, honeyed flavor, crisp yet tender flesh, and low acidity. 

Usage: Eat fresh or on salads. Excellent for baking as they retain their shape and natural sweetness.

Tree characteristics: Ambrosia apple trees are a Canadian cultivar known for their sweet, honeyed flavor, crisp texture, and adaptability to cold climates.

Hardiness zones: 5-8

Light requirements: Full sun

Soil requirements: Well-drained loam with a pH of 6.0 - 7.0

Average Height: 3.6 - 4.5 m (12 - 15 ft )

Maximum Height: Up to 6 m (20 ft)

Spread: 3 - 4.5 m (10-15 ft )

Growth Habit: Upright and generally, compact/medium-sized.

Growth Rate: Moderate. 

Ontario native status: Introduced

 Best Ontario native plants to grow around apple trees:

• Ground Cover (Shade Tolerant):
  • Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana): Excellent ground cover that acts as a living mulch, attracts bees, and produces small edible fruits.
  • Blue Violet (Viola sororia): A low-growing, shade-tolerant plant that thrives under the canopy.
  • Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis): A native ground cover that handles shade and helps suppress weeds.
• Pest Repellents & Attractors (Beneficial Insects):
  • Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum): A native allium that repels pests (like aphids) and attracts beneficial insects with its strong scent.
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): Attracts beneficial insects that feed on pests.
  • Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.): Excellent for attracting pollinators and beneficial predatory wasps.
  • New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis): High-value pollinator plant.
• Soil Improvers & Habitat:
  • Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum): Good for shade and beneficial insects.
  • Lupines (Lupinus perennis): Fixes nitrogen in the soil to feed the apple tree. 

  Other Tips for Apple Tree Guilds:

• Spring Bulbs: Plant daffodils around the drip line to deter deer, rabbits, and voles.
• Chop-and-Drop: Use native plants like comfrey (non-native, but excellent) or goldenrod (native) to cut and lay down as mulch to build topsoil.
• Spacing: Place plants near the drip line (outer edge of branches) to minimize competition with the tree's roots, especially for young trees.