Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree

Availability: Out of stock
SKU
100084

Can you imagine growing crisp, juicy, smooth, sweet, full-sized healthy apples in a lot less space? Now that's a modern Apple! The Golden Sentinel™ (Malus 'Golden Sentinel') is the columnar Apple Tree that you've been waiting for! This neat little cultivar has vertical growth but stays really narrow and tidy.

Sweet, firm and delicious, Golden Sentinel has an attractive golden-yellow fruit form on a naturally dwarf, columnar tree that easily fits into any sized garden space! Covered in beautiful blossoms in spring that are fragrant and turns the whole tree into a pillar of snow-white flowers! Then you get to sit back and watch the show.

Full-sized apples in clusters directly off the tree trunk look like golden jewels! Similar in flavor to Golden Delicious, Golden Sentinel has a crisp white flesh that's sweet and flavorful! Typically ripening later in the season it often produces a crop the first year after planting!

Planting and Application:

Enjoy homegrown apples plucked right off your patio or balcony! Space-saving size it easily tucks into home orchards. Grow it in large containers and prepare for the compliments and questions to roll in! You'll love being on the cutting-edge of the long-lived trend of using edible plants in both front and backyard landscapes.

Create garden walls and privacy by edging your private spaces with several of these magnificent trees, alternating between this and its pollinator partner. Or imagine a pair of these flanking your sunny entryway for a very noteworthy welcome. Can you say curb appeal? Greet guests in style, and let them pick their own fruit to take home with them!

  • Full-Sized Juicy Golden White Fleshed Apples
  • Harvest September - October
  • Snow-White Fragrant Spring Flowers
  • Columnar Dwarf Apple
  • Edible Landscaping, Specimen, Container & Balcony Gardening

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Apple trees require full sun and consistent moisture for the best crops. Plant in rich, organic medium and well-drained soil. Read about pruning and Success Tips by watching the Nature Hills YouTube channel. You'll squeeze every bit of value from your trees by learning how to maintain your columnar apple tree's shape and health!

  • Full Sun
  • Mulched Enriched Soil
  • Regular Even Moisture
  • Good Disease Resistance
  • ~400 Chill Hours

Order your own Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree for your sunny balcony in the city, a rooftop garden, patio or vegetable garden today. Don't wait! NatureHills.com sells out of these very quickly!

Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Planting Bareroot trees as soon as you can dig a hole in spring and until hot weather, the earlier the better. Plant container Apple trees throughout the growing season with complete success - that is the benefit of container plants - to extend the planting season. Your County Agricultural Extension Office is a great resource for first and last frost dates in your area.

How to Plant Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Dig a large hole only as deep as needed to accommodate the bareroot or container root ball, and twice as wide. Add Nature Hills Root Booster to speed root establishment. Remove the pot or bag and situate it into the hole so the top of the soil (soil line if bareroot), is level with the new location's soil being careful not to plant too deep. Water in again very well and backfill with the same soil you dug up, tamping down gently to ensure there are no air pockets.

Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of Arborist mulch. Consider staking your tree to keep its trunk growing straight for the first year to ensure it stands tall against strong winds and drifting snow.

When to Prune Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Trim off any broken branches from delivery as soon as you take them out of the box. Prune and trim apple trees while dormant, in late winter or early spring, before you see new growth.

How to Prune Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Dormant prune to:

  • Remove any double leaders or narrow crotch angles
  • Eliminate any crossing branches
  • Thin interior branching and leave the fruiting spurs and strong branches in place opening up the canopy
  • Branching at least 24-36 inches above the ground

Prune Apple trees in the summer to:

  • Control size and shape by reducing the length of longer new growth on vigorous trees
  • Remove water sprouts on the main trunk or older branches in the crown
  • Remove suckers at the base of the trunk
  • Thin fruit during heavy years on established trees

How to Care for Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Growing an apple tree is easy when proper soil, good drainage, attention to moisture, and regular fertility are maintained. Once you've chosen an apple tree that works for your climate, in the size you need for your landscape, and its pollinator (if needed), then you've accomplished half the battle!

  • Apple trees do best in full sun and well-drained soil
  • Water your apple trees when it gets dry - especially during the fruit production stage, and drought periods to keep it stress-free
  • Use arborists' wood chips to mulch over the roots of your apples and have your soil tested to see what your soil may be lacking before adding fertilizers
  • Maintenance pruning and shaping

Apple trees will tolerate a wide range of soils, so long as water and nutrients are not limited and the pH level is adequate.

How to Fertilize Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

For the first year, water alone is most important. It is always best to get a soil test to see what your soil is lacking before adding more fertilizers. Once established, a fertilizer routine may be beneficial. We do offer some excellent slow-release organic options, applied according to the package directions.

Fruit trees need more phosphate and it's possible to apply too much nitrogen which affects the soil's pH. Test soil acidity or alkalinity using a pH Tester.

Fertilize in spring when you first see new growth emerging.

  • Don't overdo it
  • Phosphates are your friends
  • Pay attention to pH in areas with extremely high or low soil pH
  • Follow the directions

Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree Pollinating Info

Golden Sentinel Columnar is not self-fruiting and needs a pollinating partner. Pair with one of these varieties:

Harvest Times for Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Golden Sentinel Columnar's are typically ready to harvest in September.

Early-Season? Mid-Season? Late-Season? The terminology can be confusing for new apple tree growers. Weather, climate and your tree determine when it's ripe.

For Apples:

  • Early-season is usually June-July
  • Mid-season can be August-September
  • Late-season can be from late September-November

The growing season consists of spring, summer, and fall, and varies with climate and weather. Areas with longer growing seasons in the warmer hardiness zones can greatly affect the harvest times for each particular apple variety grown in your area. Learn which growing zone you are in.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Buying Options for Plants

Nature Hills sells a large variety of plants with several options available. Plants are offered in both potted containers and as dormant bare root without soil. Here is a helpful resource to understand your options as you create a beautiful landscape with help from Nature Hills.

Ever wonder what a larger plant will mean for your landscape? Container Sizes are really all about the age of the plant!

Seasonally, Nature Hills offers hand selected, high quality bare root trees, shrubs and perennials. Bare root plants are sold by height from the top of the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may be taller than the height minimums.

  • Popular sizes of select trees are 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, etc.
  • Popular sizes of select bare root plants is 1 foot, 18 inches, etc.

Nature Hills Container Size by Volume

Keep in mind, specific varieties and different growing conditions can affect the rate at which plants grow. Variations in size may occur.

Young Plants to 18 Months
Size Volume
2"x2"x3" Ranges from .18 to .21 dry quarts / .198 to .23 dry liters in volume
4.5" Container Equal to .65 dry quart / .72 dry liter in volume
Sprinter Pot Equal to .63 dry quart / .69 dry liter in volume
4" Container Ranges from .31 to .87 / .35 to .96 dry liter in volume
6" Container Equal to 1.4 dry quarts / 1.59 dry liters in volume
1 Quart Equal to 1 dry quart / 1.1 dry liter in volume
5.5" Container Equal to 1.89 of a dry quart / 2.08 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x5" Ranges from .8 to 1.1 dry quarts / .88 to 1.2 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x6" Ranges from 1.0 to 1.3 dry quarts / 1.1 to 1.41 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x9" Ranges from 1.1 to 2.1 dry quarts / 1.2 to 2.3 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x10" Ranges from 1.7 to 2.3 dry quart / 1.87 to 2.53 dry liters in volume
Plants 18 Months - 2.5 Years Old
Size Volume
2 Quart Equal to 2 dry quarts / 2.2 dry liters in volume
#1 Container Ranges from 2.26 to 3.73 dry quarts / 2.49 to 4.11 dry liters in volume
5"x5"x12" Equal to 3.5 to 4.3 dry quarts / 3.85 to 4.74 dry liters in volume
Plants 2 - 4 Years Old
Size Volume
#2 Container Ranges from 1.19 to 1.76 dry gallons / 5.24 to 7.75 dry liters in volume
#3 Container Ranges from 2.32 to 2.76 dry gallons / 10.22 to 12.16 dry liters in volume
Plants 3 - 5 Years Old
Size Volume
#5 Container Ranges from 2.92 to 4.62 dry gallons / 12.86 to 20.35 dry liters in volume
#7 Container Ranges from 5.98 to 6.08 dry gallons / 26.34 to 26.78 dry liters in volume

About Plant Sentry™

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This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.

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Shipping

To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.

Shipping Rates

At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.

From To S&H
0 - 19.99 19.99
20 - 49.99 21.99
50 - 69.99 24.99
70 - 99.99 29.99
100 - 129.99 34.99
130 - 149.99 41.99
150 - 150+ Approx 27%

Click here to see our full rates

Wonderful Golden Sentinel Columnar Apples

The Golden Sentinel™ is the perfect companion to the pollinating partner Scarlet Sentinel™ Columnar apple. These beautiful columnar selections are the perfect addition to the ornamental landscape with the added benefit of great tasting fruit. The columnar varieties are all able to be pollinated by other apple selections.

The Golden Sentinel originated from the world-famous breeders at the Summerland Research Center in Summerland, British Columbia. David Lane did the original selection from a spur type MacIntosh crossed with a Red Delicious selection, which resulted in 8C-17-36. Next, it was crossed with the Discovery apple. Golden Sentinel was introduced in the late 1990's.

The Golden Sentinel Apple is an upright columnar selection with a tight growth habit. Only limited pruning is required due to the short, stout lateral limbs that are able to hold a full crop of full sized fruit. With pruning, the tree becomes a stately upright bush with a very uniform goblet shape.

Intense bloom is displayed in the spring, and the whole crown is covered with spring blooms. This should be considered for an ornamental accent in the landscape.

The columnar growth habit makes Golden Sentinel a wonderful patio container plant and is recommended for container growing.

This variety is noted for good disease resistance and a wide range of adaptation.

PLANT HIGHLIGHTS

Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree Is Suited to Grow in Zones 4-8
Growing Zones 4-8
More Information
Brand Nature Hills' Choice
Botanical Name Malus domestica 'Golden Sentinel'
Type Deciduous
Rootstock M7
Mature Height 10 - 12 feet
Mature Spread 2 - 3 feet
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Widely Adaptable
Moisture Low Once Established
Growth Rate Medium
Flower Color White
Foliage Color Green
Harvest Time Late Season
Pollinator Friendly Yes
Fruiting Time Often First Year Planted
Pruning Time When Dormant
Fragrant Yes