Welcom is a rare NZ apple variety for home gardens going back to the horticultural hay-days of the early 1940-1950's.

It ripens very early in the season (as the name suggests) Dec/Jan & is intensely sweet - like a dessert wine. The fruit are crisp, very sweet & delicious eaten freshly picked off the tree.

Fruit size is small, skin is greeny yellow with faint red striping & are best enjoyed fresh as they don't have long keeping qualities (goes floury in storage).

Welcom was offered by Palmerston North Nurseryman, William Just, College Street Palmerston (telephone 440).

It's pretty certain only William Just stocked this apple so likely he was the originator/discoverer of the apple. He had it listed in his catalogue as "an unusually early ripening very sweet small apple".

The nursery closed at some stage & Welcom disappeared along with William.

Some 65 years later (2013), my friend Pat mentions the Welcom apple tree & asked if I could arrange for trees to be propagated from his Dad's tree which is still in existence. The trees offered here are the outcome of this project.

Apple trees thrive in warm sunny sheltered spots in good draining friable organically enriched soils.

You are bidding on one specimen grade semidwarf (M106) grafted Welcom apple tree in a p12 size planter bag standing aprox 1.3 to 1.5m tall from top of bag to top of branches.

It would be nice to see Welcom grown in NZ gardens again and here's a recent message from a Trade Me buyer of a Welcom Apple tree ...

My father was a keen home gardener and we had it at home in Tauranga in the 1960s. My brother, sister and I have often wondered if we'd ever find another specimen. We all remember the taste of it!

Trees of this grade usually commence fruiting within 2-3 years of planting.

Full cultural growing & pruning information provided. Happy to combine freight with any of my listings.

Photo 2: The Welcom mother tree still growing well in Hutt Valley

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