Crab Apple

Malus spp.

Crab apples are among the most ornamental and useful small trees for UK gardens, providing four seasons of interest: beautiful blossom in April and May, attractive foliage in summer, colourful fruits from September, and elegant bare branching structure in winter. They're also outstanding pollinators for eating apple varieties — a single crab apple can pollinate most dessert and cooking apples within a 50-metre radius. The fruits, though too tart for eating raw, make exceptional jelly (high in pectin, so sets easily), are wonderful added to apple pies and chutneys, and can be used for crab apple wine. 'John Downie' is widely considered the best for jelly-making, with large, attractive, red-and-yellow fruits and profuse white blossom. 'Evereste' has orange-red fruits that persist well into winter, providing food for birds. 'Royal Beauty' is a weeping variety with deep pink flowers and dark red fruits. Malus × robusta 'Red Sentinel' holds its glossy red fruits right through to March — the last tree to be stripped by birds. Crab apples grow in any reasonable soil, tolerate some shade (though flower better in sun), and need minimal pruning — just remove dead or crossing branches in winter. They're fully hardy across the UK and can be grown as standard trees, half-standards, or even trained as espaliers.

Plan where to grow Crab Apple using our vegetable garden planner.