Ornamental crabapples are among the finest of small trees for creating multi-season interest in the garden – as long as the right cultivars are chosen. The key to growing carefree ornamental crabapples with multi-season appeal is to choose proven cultivars that have been selected for resistance to several diseases common to the apple family.
Six ornamental crabapple cultivars were named Great Plant Picks in 2003. (For more about the program, click here.) All are rated good to excellent in their resistance to Scab, a foliage disease that wreaks havoc with non-resistant apples and crabapples in our wet, cool maritime climate.
 |
Golden Raindrops® Crabapple (Malus transitoria ‘Schmidtcutleaf’) delivers beauty throughout the seasons. Star-like white flowers, deeply lobed, dark green foliage that turns yellow with red and orange highlights, and bright yellow, persistent fruits are among the reasons to choose this excellent Pacific Northwest performer. Tiny yellow fruits are loved by birds. Click here to read more in our archives. | Adirondack Crabapple (Malus ‘Adirondack’) is notable for its outstanding display of pink-edged white blossoms. Profuse flowers are followed by clean, disease free, medium green foliage and bright red fruits. The form of this U.S. National Arboretum introduction is densely upright; an inverted cone that grows to a height of about 18 feet with a spread of about 10 feet. |  |
 |
Red Jewel™ Crabapple (Malus ‘Jewelcole’) fruits are among the most profuse and the most persistent of any crab, keeping their bright red color and holding fast to the tree until spring in mild winter areas. The 1/2-inch fruits are followed by bright green spring foliage which darkens in summer to a rich green. Flowers are white. This cultivar is upright growing and somewhat pyramidal in shape, maturing at about 15 feet in height with a spread of about 12 feet. | Strawberry Parfait Crabapple (Malus ‘Strawberry Parfait’) is as yummy to look at as its name implies. Large, long-lasting pink flowers are rimmed with a darker pink margin, giving a showy, two-tone effect to the blooms. New foliage emerges reddish-purple in the spring and matures to rich, deep green in the summer. Deep red fruits persist late into the fall. Its shape is irregular and spreading, reaching a height of about 18 feet and spread of 22 feet at maturity. |  |
 |
Sugar Tyme® Crabapple (Malus ‘Sutyzam’ P.P. No. 7062) features fragrant white flowers that smother its upright, spreading branches in spring. Persistent red fruits provide a fine fall and winter display. | Sargent Tina Crabapple (Malus sargentii ‘Tina’) is among the most petite of all crabapples. Bright red buds open to single white flowers. A hearty crop of bright red, quarter-inch fruits develop among the small green leaves of summer, and persist well into the winter months.
Rather formal in character, it is a good choice for container culture. Its height is approximately five feet, with a spread of about six feet. |
 |