I'm going to nail my colours to the wall and say that a crab apple is the perfect choice of tree for any garden, whether tiny or vast, urban or rural. There you are - no ifs, buts, maybes and caveats. What makes them so special? Let's start in spring, with a froth of blossom at eye level to cheer your soul after the dark, chill winter. And then you notice the hum of bees on a mild day, feasting on the banquet of nectar and pollen on offer.
Crab apples are a magnificent source of early food for insects, flowering for several weeks in spring. These trees are smart - a string of cold days might mean poor pollination if bees are scarce, so the flowers keep coming in a long and joyful display. As a plus, if you have other apple trees, crab apples can make great cross-pollinators, ensuring you get a good fruit set. We're off to a good start….
What next? As with any ornamental tree in a garden, once the leaves unfurl, now you have an area of dappled shade underneath. This hot, dry summer has shown us all the value of a bit of shade, even for part of the day. Lots of plants much prefer not to be in full sun all day, and it's a lovely place to sit. Any tree will attract some birds into your garden as perches and crab apple trees seem to be real favourites, perhaps because of the wide range of insect life they support.
By August, the fruit will have set and this is when the real joy begins. Gorgeous round fruit in shades of red, pink and yellow brighten the garden for weeks on end, providing colour and joy for us, and of course an exceptional source of food for birds.
I love crab apple trees but have never bothered making crab apple jelly, which is what most people associate with them. I prefer to enjoy the autumn display and then let the fruit fall for the blackbirds and thrushes to enjoy.
Below is Malus ‘Golden Hornet’ which has lovely pink/white blossom and bright gold crab apples. It grows quite upright, making it a great choice where space is tight.
Below is Malus ‘Evereste’. It has the prettiest pure white blossom in spring and then produces deep rosy, slightly streaked crab apples in September on gently arching branches.
Malus ‘Jelly King’ is so named because the crab apples are very large and therefore presumably excellent for jelly making… The two-tone rosy and lemon fruit really stand out. I first noticed this tree in my friend Jan Bashforth's garden - she knows a good plant when she sees one and is very choosy about what she grows in her small, highly acclaimed, National Garden Scheme garden. The blossom is white with a hint of pink and quite loose and relaxed. This is another tree with a neat, upright habit.
And finally, my favourite of all - Malus transitoria. The crab apples on this tree are tiny, roughly pea sized, bright yellow-gold and hang daintily in huge clusters on slender red stems. It's a glorious sight to see. The leaves (which look nothing like typical apple leaves), turn gold too, so the whole tree glows in the autumn sun. This crab apple tree will ultimately become quite large, so make sure it has space for the branches to spread out as it matures. Steve read about this tree in Dan Pearson's wonderful book ‘Natural Selection’ and we planted three in the garden a couple of years ago to replace an elderly conifer. It's an absolute joy.
As at mid-September we have all of these trees in stock at the nursery, but only two or three of each variety. Now that most of us have had some rain, it's the perfect time to plant them, to enjoy the fruit this autumn and let them get really well establised for next year.
Not sure if they'll fit in your car? We're offering free delivery on all trees within a 15 mile radius :-). We're open Wed-Sat 10-5 until the end of September.