Malus spp.- Flowering Crabapple

Description
General: A huge family of flowering deciduous trees and shrubs that range in height from about 15’ to 25.’ They range in habit from low and mounding, to upright, narrow or pendulous types. Branches are upright, horizontal or drooping, and offer winter interest through unique qualities.

Leaves: Vary widely based on cultivar. Come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Bark: Shiny gray brown, scaly.

Flowers:  White to pink to red to rose. Occur in umbels or racemes and are sweetly fragrant. Spring blooming.

Fruit: A pome up to 2” that is red, yellow or green. If the pome is greater than 2,” the tree is considered an apple.

Attributes:  Effective as specimens, in groups, as screens or hedges. Also, as a lawn or patio tree.

Culture
Hardiness:  Zones 4-7.

Growing Conditions: Prefers moist, well drained, acid soil in full sun.

MaintenanceAs crabapple are susceptible to a vast, unending list of diseases and insect issues, one should take great care in choosing cultivars bred for resistance. Issues include, but are not limited to, fireblight, cedar apple rust, apple scab, canker, scale, borers, aphids, Japanese beetles, leaf spot and powdery mildew.

Transplanting: Crabapples are soil adaptable and easily transplanted.

Our Experience

Experience at Great Hill

We feature several disease resistant crabapple cultivars on Great Hill including Malus x zumi ‘Calocarpa’, Malus ‘Centzam’, Malus ‘Mary Potter,’ and Malus hupehensis ‘Strawberry parfait.’ Each of our crabapples are tree forms, a couple of which are dwarf. Spring flowering is reliable and fantastic. Despite the resistance inherent in our cultivars , we still regularly spray to keep our specimens better protected from disease and insect damage. A defoliated apple in the summer is not a pretty sight. Its important to keep any apples away from juniper so as not to develop cedar apple rust, and if pruning must be done, it should be directly after flowering so as not to remove any of the following years buds.

 

 

 

 

 

2023

Malus Bloom Data 2023

Plant NameBud BreakFull BloomBloom Drop
x Zumi 'Calocarpa'April 22May 8May 16
'Centzam'April 26May 17June 18
hupehensis 'Strawberry Parfait'April 26May 12May 18
'Mary Potter'April 19May 10May 17
'Velvet Pillar'April 19May 15May 18
2022

Malus Bloom Data 2022

Plant NameBud BreakFull BloomBloom Drop
x Zumi 'Calocarpa'April 23May 12May 20
'Centzam'April 27May 10May 21
hupehensis 'Strawberry Parfait'April 22May 8May 16
'Mary Potter'April 19May 12May 21
'Velvet Pillar'April 28May 12May 20