April Tree of the Month-Crabapple
If one could bottle up the scents of childhood, for me, it would be the lingering smell of melting tinsel against C7 Christmas tree bulbs, The sharp scent of Bactine on scraped knees, and the intoxicating fragrance of crabapple trees.
My best friend, while growing up, had a crabapple tree (Malus spp.) in her backyard. We would climb that tree when it was in full bloom and take in the sights and scents every spring, completely surrounded by the fluffy blossoms. (These excursions were often followed by the Bactine spray!) The St. Louis highways of my youth were also planted with crabapples, which sadly have long died either from disease or highway expansion.
Crabapples have come a long way since my childhood, though. Generally small and adaptable, most of the recent cultivars on the market are disease-resistant, and many are super compact, making them excellent choices for small gardens or parking lots.
Leaves can be green or purple. Berry color ranges from yellow to orange, red, or purple. Forms include columnar, weeping, and “lollipop” or standards. Today, more crabapple cultivars are geared toward food and health benefits since they contain high amounts of vitamin C, antioxidants, and even cancer-fighting compounds. Crabapples are naturally full of pectin and have been made into jams and jellies for years. The fruits are usually tart and can combined with regular apples or other fruits for more complex flavors in pies, applesauce, and even hard ciders.
According to the Chicago Botanical Garden, over two dozen species of crabapples have been found in North America, Europe, and Asia, and more than 500 cultivars have been developed over the past 150 years. So, how do you pick one? My favorite method is always RESEARCH! Providing you have a spot in full sun with good drainage, I start with size, shape, and color to help narrow things down. How about a “Lollipop” or standard shape in white? Try ‘Tina’. Want one with purple foliage and a strong scent? You can’t beat ‘Cardinal’. How about a native crabapple? Malus ioensis or M. coronaria. A small, wide, pink option is ‘Pink Princess’ like the specimen Just outside the Kemper Center at MBG in the photo below.
Flowers, fragrance, fruit, loved by pollinators and birds, disease resistant, diverse forms and sizes … it’s a wonder why every Bradford pear isn’t removed and replaced with a crabapple!
What I love about this plant;
-Showy flowers in pink or white.
-Colorful, edible fruits.
-Multiple choices with form, foliage, flower, and fruit colors.
-Excellent replacement for Bradford pears.
-Native species are an option; Malus ioensis or M. coronaria.
What’s not so great;
-The fruit can be messy. Do yourself and your neighbors a favor and not plant a crabapple near walkways, driveways, or sidewalks.
-Despite the abundance of disease-resistant cultivars, it’s not considered a long-lived tree. Scab, fire blight, rusts, leaf spot, and powdery mildew. tent caterpillars, aphids, Japanese beetles, borers, and scale are all possibilities, so make sure you choose a disease-resistant cultivar to lessen the chances of issues and prune in winter versus spring to aid against fireblight.
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Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2025, All rights reserved.
