Crab apple trees

Crab apples produce a mass of spring blossom, followed by attractive ornamental fruits which can also be used for cooking. We can advise on the best crab apple trees to suit your garden.

Very late-season  

Malus Admiration

Also known as Malus Adirondack. A dwarf upright crab-apple with masses of light-pink / white flowers. compare
Late-season  

Malus Butterball

Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly. compare
Early-season  

Malus Dolgo

Malus Dolgo, also known as Pink Glow, offers early-season white flowers and dark pink fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Evereste

Evereste is a popular crab-apple with masses of white blossom, then red-yellow fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Floribunda

Malus floribunda is also known as the Japanese Crab. Pink / white blossom then red / yellow fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Golden Gem

Golden Gem has bright white blossom followed by yellow crab apples. compare
Very late-season  

Malus Golden Hornet

Malus Golden Hornet has pink / white blossom then small yellow crab apples which hang on late in the year. compare
Very late-season  

Malus Gorgeous

Malus Gorgeous features light pink blossom and is good for crab apple jelly. compare
Very late-season  

Malus Indian Magic

A superb all-round crab apple, bronze leaves, and persistent red fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Jelly King

A compact crab apple, with unusually large persistent fruits - excellent for crab apple jelly. compare
Late-season  

Malus John Downie

John Downie is a good crabapple for making crab apple jelly. White blossom and orange-red fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Laura

A dwarf upright crab apple with bronze leaves and crimson blossom. compare
Late-season  

Malus Liset

Malus Liset is a compact ornamental crab apple, with dusky red flowers and small scarlet fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Louisa

Malus Louisa is a pretty weeping crab apple with light pink blossom. compare
Early-season  

Malus Profusion

Malus Profusion is a notably compact crab apple variety, with dense clusters of deep pink blossom. compare
Late-season  

Malus Red Sentinel

Malus Red Sentinel has classic white apple blossom and a profusion of tiny scarlet fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Rosehip

Malus Rosehip is notable for its large rosehip-shaped red fruits. compare
Late-season  

Malus Royal Beauty

Royal Beauty is a compact weeping crab apple with crimson blossom. compare
Mid-season  

Malus Royalty

Malus Royalty is an ornamental crab apple with green-bronze leaves and dark red blossom. compare
Very late-season  

Malus Scarlett

Malus toringo Scarlett is an ornamental crab apple with purple/green leaves and pink blossom. compare
Mid-season  

Malus Sun Rival

Malus Sun Rival is a crab apple with white flowers, red fruits, notable for its weeping growth habit. compare
Very late-season  

Malus Wedding Bouquet

Malus brevipes Wedding Bouquet features an abundance of ivory-white blossom. compare



More about Crab apple trees

Crab apples (Ornamental malus) are very closely related to apples, being part of the same genus Malus. The only difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit, and it is usually considered that any apple variety with a fruit size of less than 2" is a crabapple.

Crab apple trees are grown primarily for their ornamental value. This starts in spring with a profusion of attractive blossom, which is often scented. The brightly coloured ornamental fruits hang attractively on the tree throughout autumn, providing colour in the garden and a source of food for birds. Some varieties also have attractive bronze leaves.

Most crab apples are edible - although rather unpalatable for eating fresh. However many varieties are valuable for cooking - crab apples contain large amounts of pectin, and are useful in the kitchen for making fruit jellies. Several varieties are also useful for cider blends.

The prolific blossom also makes most crab apples excellent pollinators for all other apple and cider-apple varieties - they typically produce five to ten times more pollen than a typical apple tree. The blossom is also usually more long-lasting than that of normal apples, and spans several of the mainstream apple flowering groups. Crab apples are naturally precocious and will often start producing blossom and fruit in their 2nd or 3rd years.