From Kuffel Creek:

Cripp's Pink Australia, 1979 Cripp's Pink apples that are grown to certain quality standards are marketed under the Pink Lady⢠trademarked name. A cross between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious, it is a favorite in supermarkets because of it's dense, crisp juicy flesh and sweet-tart flavor. It is not bothered in the least by hot weather and even excels in Las Vegas and Phoenix, once considered apple graveyards because of their intense heat. Cripp's Pink apples that have been in storage a while will often have seeds inside that are already sprouted, useful for folks trying to start their own rootstocks from seed. It ripens late (November-December) and is a good companion for Fuji. I've given it short-shrift in the past because the ones in the supermarket are decent, but this year I've really enjoyed ours off the tree, and the ones grown in the mountains have been mind-blowing. Tested good for Southern California. The patent expired in 2010, and so we will now be able to sell it.

Cripp's-Two Australia, 1973 Also known as its trademarked name Sundownerâ¢, Cripps-Two is a cross between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious and is a popular commercial variety in Australia and England. It ripens very late in the season, and needs a long hot season to be its best. It is considered low-chill and sets fruit very reliably, even when a tiny tree, and is very sun and heat resistant. The flavor is a pleasing sweet-tart and the texture is firm. It has a red skin on a yellow background. The patent expires November of 2013 and so we'll be shipping in spring of 2014.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kuffel Creek

Kippy my Pink Lady does well for me but there is supposed to be an even better tasting apple from ( New Zealand? ) that is just new to the US and does better than Pink Lady. Supposedly Pink Lady got marketed better or looks prettier in the market. Anyway that was the apple they decided to sell here and not the better tasting one that I can't recall the name.

Does anyone know what that apple is called? If you grow it is it doing well in So. CA?

Pink Lady tastes really good to me and I'd like to try the other one some time.

Kippy-the-Hippy, I don't understand the premise of the question. Which apple and harvest window do you like better? Which rootstock does better in your locale? In my locale Pink Lady on M111 is a winning combination. Summer prune to maintain the tree size that you want.

MrClint

Sundowner and Pink Lady are both hybrids of the same two trees as noted in Rob's link. They both also ripen at similar times. The flavor notes are also similar.

The Sundowner seems to need heat, but produces early on young trees. We have a west facing slope and a 90 year old lady looking forward to winter apples...

I was hoping that some one local (SoCal) would have experience with either or both of these trees and would express what they liked or did not like. I have limited space left and am trying to pick the best varieties for our garden. I have a spread sheet with "normal" ripening dates so I am trying to make sure I have apples all season.

I ended up picking up the Sundowner today. When I visited the nursery and read the tag, it was on m-7 and not a true standard as the nursery had listed. The Pink Lady would have come from a different nursery and would have been an "E-Z" pick (okay for espalier but not so great if you also have a bad back and chickens)

I have room for one or maybe two more apples in our apple orchard, we have Dorsett Golden, Anna, Beverly Hills, Pettingale and now Sundowner. I am looking to fill the last spots with a Fuji and either Gala or Gordon

Gala is a fine apple, I'd pass on Gordon if I had to make that choice.

Thanks Green! With limited space, no need for bad apples.