There’s nothing like a crabapple tree. Each spring the crabapple offers a
beautiful display of fragrant flowers that can’t be beat! In the other seasons
it can offer handsome leaves, eye-catching colorful fruit and sometimes unusual
bark colors and textures and interesting growth habits.
Crabapples are very popular. In fact, they are the most popular and widely used ornamental tree in residential landscapes. But not all crabapples are alike. There are more than 650 different cultivars offering a variety of sizes; growth habits; disease resistance; and leaf, flower, and fruit color.
It is important to choose the crabapple that is right for your landscape. The following will help you choose the crabapple that is right for you.
Crabapples either have white flowers or red/pinkish flowers. Some crabapples also offer a combination of flower color such as having pink buds that open to white flowers.
Crabapples have a reddish or yellow fruits. Red color can range from a dark
pink to maroon while yellow can range from yellow-orange to gold. Some crabapple
trees hold their fruit longer than others. These are listed as having persistent
fruit. Look for a crabapple that has persistent fruit to extend your enjoyment
of this beautiful tree into the next season.
Leaf color can range from dark green and glossy to a medium green. There are
also cultivars that have leaves that are reddish maroon when they start out and
turn dark green when mature. Fall color ranges from yellow to orange.
Crabapples range in size from 6 to 30 feet tall. There are also some dwarf
forms that grow no taller than 5 feet. Some crabapples grow upright while
others may be rounded, wide spreading, or have a shrubby form. Many hours of
pruning can be avoided if you choose the appropriate crabapple for the site in
your yard.
Not all crabapples are disease resistant. Choose a crabapple that is. The majority of crabapples available today have much better disease resistance than their predecessors but some are better than others.
– Ann Wied, Waukesha Co. UW-Extension
