Crabapples cling to the tree into early winter when freezing temperatures make the fruit mushy. Its blossoms are especially attractive to bees and other pollinators. There are some you won’t hear complaining about this ‘crabby’ tree. It resulted in many permutations of ‘wild apples.’ These included trees that produced varying degrees of bitter, acrid fruit they called ‘spitters.’ That didn’t stop our forefathers who soon discovered that various fermented combinations of crabs and sweeter apples resulted in a most satisfactory beverage. It led to a massive but totally random hybridization effort in which Johnny Appleseed was surely involved. The quest of early apple planting in America wasn’t to obtain an apple for eating, but rather an apple for drinking – cider, that is. The good news is that if you do make jelly, the fruit’s high pectin content means you don’t have to add any of the store bought variety. Take it from Henry David Thoreau, who, in an essay entitled “Wild Apples,” called the fruit “sour enough to set a squirrel’s teeth on edge and make a jay scream.” It’s truly a feast for the eye, but if you’re looking for a snack, better make jelly – or cider. Then come the royal raindrops – tiny maroon-red crabapples that take on a dramatic orange-red color by fall.

On their heels, delicate buds opening into tiny magenta-pink blossoms bedeck the tree with grace. The only maintenance involves removing suckers and branches that cross or rub against each other.įrom stark winter silhouettes come deeply lobed, purple leaves that keep their color all summer. It is characterized by diminutive fruit and richly colored leaves, blossoms and fruit. This easy to grow landscape tree is well suited to small yards, growing just 15-20 feet high with a 12-16 foot spread. For more information about this spectacular crabapple, please fill out the contact form.It’s hard to go wrong with a crabapple tree if you’re looking for small, low-maintenance and attractive most of the year.īark & Garden has a yummy selection of flowering crabapple trees including the unique, hardy cultivar Malus ‘Royal Raindrops.’ With our help, you can take home the Royal Raindrops crabapple tree.

Our team is trained to answer all of your questions. From trees to flowers, we can help you find the right product for your next landscaping job. We are a wholesale tree nursery distributor for garden centers, commercial landscapers, and nurseries. If you want to bring this beautiful crabapple to your landscape, make sure to reach out to Arbor Valley Nursery. Nursery growth is outstanding, and it displays. Deeply lobed leaves and upright form with good branching and density are inherited from its Golden Raindrops parent. Use it a specimen tree, street tree, or planted in small groups. It is tolerant of clay soils, air pollution and drought once established. It comes from Malus transitoria 'Schmidtcutleaf' and is an open-pollinated seedling. If you’ve heard a weather report to say frost is expected, then hold off on planting. Bright pinkish red flowers combine with deep purple cutleaf foliage to present a unique new crab. Royal Raindrops Crabapple is a disease-resistant cultivar with a dense rounded canopy. If the ground is workable, then you’re good to go. You’ll need to check that the ground is still in a reasonable condition for planting. As you can tell, these Royal Raindrops crabapple trees will become showstoppers in your yard. Instructions for Planting A Royal Raindrops Crabapple Tree Plant the tree/s in either Spring or Fall. If you want a spectacular display for autumn, this tree delights as it is covered in coppery red foliage. When the red fruits appear in the summer, the local birds will enjoy coming to your yard. Those flowers add some charm to your landscape throughout the springtime. This flowering crabapple is a newer variety that features pinkish-red flowers. You will not be disappointed with the Royal Raindrops crabapple tree.

Crabapple royal raindrops