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Show Time ™ crab apple . Photo : Proven Winners .
If you ’re look for a compact , versatile Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that provides interest nearly year - round , you ca n’t do much good than the cultivated crab apple . In addition to dazzle you with breathtaking buds and blossoms in leaping , crabapples are also handsome foliage plant in summer and crepuscule , and put up bountiful presentation of fruit that linger on the branches well into winter . What ’s more , they come in a grasp of sizes and forms ( most no taller than 20 foot ) to fit nearly any outer space constraint .
There are 100 of crabapple varieties , but those featured here are particularly gardenworthy , spawn for superior inflorescence , sound free fall leafage color , and attractive fruit . Even better , they resist apple strikebreaker and other common diseases that have beset crabapples in the past , making them reliable performers year after year .
2025 National Tree of the Year : Show Time ™ crabapplefrom Proven Winners .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care & Pruning|Pictures|Design Tips|Frequently Asked Questions
CRABAPPLE BASICS
Botanical name:
genus Malus
Zones:
4 - 8
Size:
Most rise 15 to 20 feet tall and wide of the mark . There are also dwarf and semi - dwarf smorgasbord that array in height from under 5 ft to 10 feet .
Forms:
May be round , spreading , columnar , vase - regulate , or tears , depending on the cultivar .
Exposure:
Full sun , minimum 6 hr per day .
Bloom Time:
Mid to belated spring , with the length of prime ranging from 1 to 2 workweek .
Flowers:
undivided , semi - bivalent or fully double in white , pink , Battle of Magenta , or ruddy . Very fragrant . Many varieties have darker buds that brighten in color as the flowers strain full bloom .
Foliage:
Usually light-green , but some varieties have foliage with purple , red , or bronze tones . declination leaf colouring may be orange , red , gold , or bronze , bet on the cultivar .
Fruit:
Ripens from late summer to mid - fall down and often cling to the branches through wintertime . ordinarily the fruit is ruddy , resembling small cherry , but some cultivars produce yellow , maroon , or orangish fruit .
Growth rate:
Moderate
PLANTING CRABAPPLE TREES
Crabapple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree fruit . Photo by : Proven Winners .
When to plant:
The best meter to plant a crab apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is in the natural spring or fall , when the stain is moist and temperature are cool . ( SeeWhat to found in Your Fall Garden ) . However , if you avoid freezing temperatures and uttermost hotness , you’re able to engraft a crabapple almost any time of year .
Where to plant:
Crabapples boom in full sun but do n’t like red-hot weather , favor climates with temperate summers and cold winters . They conform to most grunge conditions , as long as they are planted in well - debilitate soil . To debar foliar disease , works in a location that offer dear atmosphere circulation .
How to plant:
CRABAPPLE TREE CARE & PRUNING
Watering:
The first year after planting , provide supplemental lacrimation during ironical atmospheric condition so the tree receives at least 1 column inch of urine per week and up to 2 inch during hot spells . After the ascendent become established , you will only need to irrigate during prolonged ironical period . To cut down watering absolute frequency , practice a few inches of mulch around the base of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( but not touch the trunk ) to facilitate retain soil moisture .
Amendments & Fertilizer:
If planted in good , moderately fecund soil , crabapple usually do n’t demand excess fertilization . However , if you notice poor bloom and yield production , you may ameliorate soil rankness by top medical dressing with compost in the spring or by applying a wearisome - release plant food before new growth go forth .
Pruning:
Occasional pruning will help keep crab apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree healthy and maintain their endearing silhouettes . crab apple are particularly prone to water sprout ( shoots that develop upward from tree branches ) and suckers that make at the base of the tree , which can develop large enough to become extra trunk . These development should be removed , along with any dead , morbid , or crowded leg .
Pruning is well done in late winter or before flowering in early spring . invalidate over - pruning . Tree want metre to mold callosity over a injury , so it ’s best to remove only the branches that need it . Get more pruning advice : Pruning a Crabapple Tree .
Diseases:
Apple rat , cedar apple rust , fire blight , andpowdery mildeware the most common diseases to afflict crabapples , particularly non - resistant miscellanea . Apple rat - a fungal disease that often produce in coolheaded , wet spring - is the most serious problem and can cause leaf spotting and defoliation . These can be quash by planting newer cultivars bred to dissent these diseases and by replacing disease - prostrate trees with immune varieties . Any branches that become defoliated due to disease ordinarily leaf back out the following natural spring .
CRABAPPLE PICTURES
photograph by : Proven Winners .
Lollipop ® —Find a local retailerMalusx
Zones:4 - 8
Height / Spread : Up to 8 feet tall and wide
Form : Rounded
colouring material : snowy flowers ; bright red yield
Very proportionate and earth - form ( just like a lollipop ! ) . Compact sizing makes it a perfect selection for small formal gardens .
Show Time ™ —Find a local retailerMalusx
Height / Spread : Up to 25 metrical foot tall ; 15 to 20 feet wide
kind : Pyramidal
colour : Fuchsia peak , cherry violent yield
A heavy bloomer , with peculiarly large fuchsia - red flowers . drab reddish - green leafage turn orangish and bronzy red ink in dusk .
2025 Tree of the Year
exposure by : Zydree / Shutterstock .
PrairifireMalus’Prairifire '
Height / Spread:15 to 20 feet tall and wide
colouring material : Deep pinkish - blood-red flowers , empurpled - red yield
Battle of Magenta - pink , almost red flowers bulge out against purplish - tinged foliage in fountain . In fall , the leave-taking ferment a fiery orange tree , creating a striking dividing line with the dark scarlet crabapples .
photograph by : Paul S Drobot / Millette Photomedia .
ProfusionMalus’Profusion '
bod : Rounded , slimly spreading
Color : Violet - red flower , maroon fruit
Named for its profuse blossom and yield production . Foliage change color from cherry-red purpleness when young , fading to bronze when mature , and finally mellow to fortunate amber in fall .
Photo by : Bertrand Dumont / Millette Photomedia .
RobinsonMalus’Robinson '
Height / Spread : Up to 25 feet magniloquent and extensive
colouring : ruddy - pink flowers , ruby-red yield
put on an impressive display of crimson buds and scarlet - pink flowers in other spring . Attractive ellipse leaves are purple when immature and turn bronzy green with crimson veining as they mature . A beautiful specimen or shade Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Photo by : BlackFarm / Shutterstock .
Royal Raindrops ® Malus’JFS - KW5 '
Height / Spread:15 to 20 feet marvelous , 10 to 15 foot wide
Form : Upright rounded to vase shaped
semblance : Magenta - pink efflorescence , maroon - ruddy fruit
exposure by : Ellen McKnight / Shutterstock .
Donald WymanMalus’Donald Wyman '
Height / Spread:15 to 20 feet tall , up to 24 feet all-inclusive
Color : blanched flowers , bright red yield
A reliable , disease - resistant cultivar with attractive shiny - gullible leaf that turns gold in fall . The yield is among the most imperishable of all the crabapples , providing gracious wintertime interest .
Photo by : ristovicmilosh / Shutterstock .
Prairie RoseMalus ioensis’Prairie Rose '
Height / Spread:15 to 20 feet tall , 12 to 18 foot wide
Color : Deep pinkish flowers
tumid , abundant double pink flowers resemble rosebuds when they go forth in spring . This fruitless cross is utter for nurseryman who want beautiful blooms but do n’t require to bother cleaning up the fallen fruit .
LouisaMalus’Louisa '
Height / Spread:10 to 12 feet tall , up to 15 feet wide
sort : Weeping
Color : Pink flowers , yellow fruit
This elegant umbrella - shaped crying crab louse bears red buds that afford to Cascade Range of soft pink efflorescence , travel along by lovely blush - tinged yellow fruit . try after for its graceful anatomy and glossy , dark green foliation .
TinaMalus sargentii’Tina '
Height / Spread:4 to 5 feet tall , 5 to 6 foot wide
shape : humble and spread , with pendulous branches
The belittled of the Sargent crabapple ( a dwarf species ) , with arresting non-white pink bud that give way to petite white flowers and lilliputian pea - sized fruit . A popular choice for Asiatic gardens .
DESIGN TIPS
Because crabapple trees derive in an array of size , growth wont , and bloom colors , they are worthy for a all-encompassing range of applications . Here are some ideas for using them in the garden :
Keep in mind that the yield of crab apple trees can stain walkways or patios . To avoid that trouble , prefer a non - fruiting cultivar , such as ‘ Prairie Rose ’ .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are crabapple trees link up to apple trees?Yes . Both trees share the same genus ( Malus ) and many of the same characteristics . However , a crab apple has belittled , tarter fruit , ranging in size from ¼ inch to 2 inches in diam .
Do all crabapple bear fruit?While most flowering crabapples develop yield , there are some “ non - fruiting ” cultivars that produce very belittled fruit or none at all .
Is the yield edible?Unlike apples , most crabapples are too tart and sass - puckering to be eat out of manus , but they are utterly edible and often used to make jams and jellies . In winter , they are a great source of food for many types of birds and other wildlife . In ecumenical , the little the fruit , the more sour the taste .
Why is n’t my crabapple tree diagram blooming?Some crabapples are alternate anthesis , mean they will flower intemperately one yr and sparsely or not at all the next . old Tree that are past their flush may also stop flowering every yr . Lack of enough sun can also result in few or no flowers .
