Our house purchase last year came with two apple trees: a Belle de Boskoop and a Cox Orange Pippen. Being a triploid, the Boskoop needs a 3rd partner (previous owners unaware?), so we planted a Fameuse last fall. It was suggested that we place flowering crab apple branches in a bucket of water nearby to give the Belle its other pollinator while waiting for the Fameuse to grow up a bit. Done that, as the Pippen just started blooming this week, but no sign of flower buds on the Boskoop, so the exercise seems doomed.
