Autumn 2024Order now for delivery from week commencing 14th October for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
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Sun Rival crab apple trees

Malus
Check pollinators >
Sun Rival has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit
  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
  • Blossom colour: Pink - light
  • Fruit colour: Red
  • Awards: RHS AGM (current) 2012

Sun Rival is a good all-round weeping ornamental crab apple. The blossom is profuse, going from pink-bud to white fully open flowers.

The fruits are small, light red in colour, and hang like cherries.

Sun Rival grows with a distinctive semi-weeping habit, with branches often reaching the ground.

Sun Rival crab apple trees for sale

Pot-grown

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year 12L pot-grown tree Semi-vigorous rootstock £71.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree Semi-vigorous rootstock £36.75
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 14th October for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Sun Rival has good disease resistance (even by crab apple standards).

If you wish to have more control over the height at which the branches start to weep, we sometimes have 1-year bare-root trees of this variety. These can be trained up to about 2m or more using a heavy-duty bamboo cane, giving a bit more height than we usually aim for with our container-grown trees.

After a while you may notice the branches grow long enough to start trailing on the ground. If you don't like this you can prune the branches back by about 30cm on a mild day in the winter.

Sun Rival characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersGood
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonMid

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood

Identification

  • Blossom colourPink - light
  • Fruit colourRed
  • AwardsRHS AGM (current)

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. Find out more
Planth Healthy scheme logo

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.

This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2023.