Crabapple
Crabapples are one of my favorite spring blooming tree. This week’s plant is closely related to apples but they have a smaller edible fruit and offer a wide variety of different bloom colors, sizes, shapes and leaf colors. Crabapples tend to bloom in April through May depending on the variety and the spring weather. One thing I love about crabapples is their versatility in bloom color and shape. Do you need a tree for a small space, one that is tall and slender, or one that has a weeping form? There is a crabapple variety that will work in that location. Bloom color ranges from white to pink to purple to red and can be single, semi-double or double blooms. The fruit on crabapples is edible, on some varieties can be showy and the larger fruited varieties are often used for making jams and jellies. Crabapple leaves range from green to dark purple to bronze in color and some varieties have showy red or yellow foliage in the fall giving crabapples several seasons of interest. Crabapples do have a few disease issues in fireblight and cedar apple rust. But overall they are fairly healthy and issue free. If you are looking for a spring blooming tree to replace your pear consider throwing a crabapple into the mix.
