I grafted true service trees with a friend last year. We received scions of about 20 different varieties from a conservation orchard in Bavaria. One variety called "Christophs Apfel" flowered that same year.

My friend gave me the tree. It is now growing in a large pot in my polytunnel and it's flowering again.

I am very excited about this because it's the first time that i have a sorbus domestica tree getting ready to make fruit.

The fruit of this variety is apple-shaped and it is a variety that flowers and fruits at a very young age.

It was developed as part of a german breeding program to make true service trees more suitable to fruit orchards. The trees stay smaller and produce fruit quicker.

It's very useful for breeding since you can go from seed to seed in much less time.

Also a small flowering tree of this variety might be a great tree to graft other varieties into and get to see their fruit quicker.

Two flower buds on my young "Christophs Apfel" tree.