This may sound cheesy buuuuuut Arkansas black apple. I live in north Louisiana & have 3 of them (one died from the drought last year). Mine are the dwarf variety. It is by far my favorite apple. Ever. They are prone to nibbles from deer. I almost lost a young one because of that.

I suggest checking out the heirloom varieties at www,bighorsecreekfarm.com They specialize in southern heirlooms divided in to wam weather and cool weather varieties. Arkansas Black is a keeper best stored in your fridge for 50-60 days and then eaten. I have a 2 year old whip of one of its seedlings (king David) and a 1 yr old Arkansas Black whip, among others, I also suggest a book called old Southern Apples by Lee Calhoun for an excellent education in southern Apple varieties.

Check into the tree varieties offered by Guy Ames in Fayetteville. I think it's Ames Nursery and Orchard on Facebook although you can do a Google search for him as well. He specializes in low maintenance varieties and sells semi-dwarf trees shipped in the fall when they have the greatest chance of survival. I have 7 apple trees and 2 pears from him and they are practically bulletproof. I had one tree planted in the wrong place--my fault--that died from being too wet.

What pollinator do you have for your Arkansas Blacks?