More Great Crabapples for Your Yard
Crabapple trees are popular for their fragrant springtime blooms and colorful fall fruits (which attract colorful birds in autumn and winter). Use this guide to help you select a crabapple that's just right for your landscape.
- view all thumbnails
Pink buds on Molten Lava crabapple open to white flowers tinged pale pink. The tree forms 3/8-inch-diameter red-orange fruits that hang on into early winter. Leaves are solid green, turning yellow orange in fall.
Name: Malus 'Molazam'
Form: Semiweeping
Size: 15-18 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
The spreading semiweeping form of Molten Lava crabapple is reminiscent of lava flowing down a mountainside. The small- to medium-size tree has good resistance to scab, powdery mildew, fire blight, and cedar-apple rust.
Name: Malus 'Molazam'
Form: Semiweeping
Size: 15-18 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Pink Princess is a dwarf tree or broad shrub with rose-pink springtime flowers. Foliage emerges purple and turns bronze-green during summer. Fall color is yellow. Fruits are dark red and 1/4 inch in diameter.
Name: Malus toringo var. sargentii 'Parssi'
Form: Low, spreading
Size: 6-8 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
This dwarf spreading form of sargent crabapple can be grown as a small tree or a multistem large shrub. It is also sometimes listed as Malus sargentii 'Parssi'. This tree has excellent resistance to all major crabapple fungal diseases, including apple scab, fire blight, cedar-apple rust, and powdery mildew.
Name: Malus toringo var. sargentii 'Parssi'
Form: Low, spreading
Size: 6-8 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Red flower buds on Prairifire crabapple tree open to deep pink blooms. (Alternate spellings such as Prairiefire and Prairie Fire are common.) The tree has persistent purplish-red fruits that are 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Leaves emerge purplish, mature to bronzy green, and develop a yellow-orange glow in autumn.
Name: Malus 'Prairifire'
Form: Upright
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Upright Prairifire crabapple is a University of Illinois introduction that is highly resistant to scab, fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar-apple rust. The tree has reddish-brown bark similar to cherry trees, providing an attractive contrast to snow. Prairifire appears on the top 10 variety list in the National Crabapple Evaluation conducted by Tom Green.
Name: Malus 'Prairifire'
Form: Upright
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Named for its abundance of magenta pink blooms, Profusion crabapple has many attractive landscape qualities. Foliage emerges purple, turns bronzy green in summer, and rounds out the season with mottled yellow, orange, and green tones. The tree develops 1/2-inch diameter ruby-red fruits that persist into winter.
Name: Malus 'Profusion'
Form: Rounded, spreading
Size: 18-25 feet tall and 18-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Profusion crabapple is a rounded tree with a spreading form. The foliage has excellent resistance to cedar-apple rust, good resistance to fire blight and powdery mildew, but only fair resistance to apple scab. It is sometimes listed as Malus x moerlandsii 'Profusion'.
Name: Malus 'Profusion'
Form: Rounded, spreading
Size: 18-25 feet tall and 18-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Large-fruited Ralph Shay crabapple develops 1-1/4-inch-wide red-blushed fruits suitable for preserves and jelly. If left unharvested, the fruits will hang on the tree into winter, attracting birds. In spring the tree blooms with fragrant white blossoms. Fall foliage color is a blend of green, gold, and yellow.
Name: Malus 'Ralph Shay'
Form: Rounded
Size: 18-20 feet tall and 17-22 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Named for a Purdue University plant physiologist, Ralph Shay crabapple is a cross between the commercial apple variety 'Wolf River' and Malus x zumi 'Calocarpa', commonly called redbud crabapple. This hybrid has good resistance to fire blight, cedar-apple rust, and powdery mildew. It is slightly susceptible to apple scab.
Name: Malus 'Ralph Shay'
Form: Rounded
Size: 18-20 feet tall and 17-22 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Red Jade weeping crabapple begins the season by bearing white blossoms with pink overtones. Long chains of red egg-shape fruits 1/2 inch in diameter adorn the tree well into autumn. Fall foliage color is a blend of green, yellow, and orange.
Name: Malus 'Red Jade'
Form: Weeping
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
Red Jade crabapple was discovered at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York. The tree's classic weeping form has made it popular for more than 50 years. It has good resistance to cedar-apple rust, but can be somewhat susceptible to other foliar diseases. Red Swan is an improved form with somewhat better resistance to fungal diseases.
Name: Malus 'Red Jade'
Form: Weeping
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
Red Jewel crabapple is named for its abundant cherry-red fruits 1/2 inch in diameter. In mild-winter areas the fruits remain on the tree until the following spring. Blossoms are large, single, and white. Foliage is medium green and may turn yellow in fall.
Name: Malus 'Jewelcole'
Form: Irregular oval
Size: 14-18 feet tall and 9-12 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
The irregular oval form of Red Jewel is sometimes described as vase shape or pyramidal. In all cases, it remains fairly narrow, making it a good choice for boulevard plantings. The tree has good disease resistance, but occasional fire blight or powdery mildew may develop. It is one of horticulture professor Michael Dirr's top 12
Name: Malus 'Jewelcole'
Form: Irregular oval
Size: 14-18 feet tall and 9-12 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Robinson crabapple has medium pink blooms that develop into 3/8-inch-diameter dark red fruits that persist on the tree. Its leaves emerge purple but turn bronze-green as they mature. Good orange fall color is typical.
Name: Malus 'Robinson'
Form: Upright when young; rounded with age
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Young Robinson crabapple trees grow strongly upright, but as they mature the form becomes rounded and spreading. Apple scab, fire blight, cedar-apple rust, and powdery mildew rarely affect the foliage.
Name: Malus 'Robinson'
Form: Upright when young; rounded with age
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Royal Raindrops crabapple begins the season with magenta pink blooms that develop into 1/4-inch-diameter persistent red fruits, which attract birds. Its unique deep purple cutleaf foliage is an outstanding ornamental feature. In autumn the foliage is a riot of color with a mix of orange, scarlet, bronze, and purple.
Name: Malus 'JFS-KW5'
Form: Upright rounded to vase shape
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 12-15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Royal Raindrops requires little pruning to maintain its natural upright rounded or vase shape. The strong branching pattern is good for windy sites. Royal Raindrops has excellent resistance to apple scab and cedar-apple rust, and good resistance to powdery mildew and fire blight.
Name: Malus 'JFS-KW5'
Form: Upright rounded to vase shape
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 12-15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
An improved version of Brandywine crabapple, Scarlet Brandywine has ruffled dark rose double blooms. Fruits are pumpkin orange, and at 5/8 inch in diameter they're half the size of Brandywine fruits, making messy dropped fruits less of an issue. The tree has green leaves tinged with maroon and excellent yellow-orange fall color.
Name: Malus 'Scbrazam'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
The open rounded form of Scarlet Brandywine crabapple provides good air circulation throughout the tree and contributes to excellent foliar-disease resistance for apple scab, fire blight, cedar-apple rust, and powdery mildew.
Name: Malus 'Scbrazam'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
It's safe to assume that with a name like Snowdrift, this crabapple tree produces pure white blossoms in spring. The fragrant blooms are followed by 3/8- to 1/2-inch-diameter orange-red fruits that hang on the tree well into fall. The tree has glossy green leaves in summer and reliably provides muted yellow fall color.
Name: Malus 'Snowdrift'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Snowdrift is densely branched with a rounded to upright spreading form. Although some researchers report occasional fire blight on Snowdrift, it was named a top 10 variety in the National Crabapple Evaluation conducted by Tom Green and also appears on horticulture professor Michael Dirr's top 12 crabapple variety list.
Name: Malus 'Snowdrift'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Sugar Tyme crabapple has pink buds that open to sugary-white fragrant blossoms. A prolific bearer, the tree develops numerous 1/2-inch-diameter red fruits that hang on the tree into winter, when birds devour them. The dark green leaves develop muted fall colors of mottled green, yellow, and orange.
Name: Malus 'Sutyzam'
Form: Oval
Size: 15-18 feet tall and 12-18 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Award-winning Sugar Tyme crabapple has excellent scab resistance and good resistance to fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar-apple rust. The tree won the Michigan Grower's Choice Award in 1999 and appears on horticulture professor Michael Dirr's top 12 list, as well as Tom Green's top 10 list of best crabapples.
Name: Malus 'Sutyzam'
Form: Oval
Size: 15-18 feet tall and 12-18 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Thunderchild crabapple has dark pink blooms that develop into 1/2-inch-diameter purple-red fruits. The fruits remain attached to the tree until birds eat them in fall and winter. The tree has deep purple oval leaves that turn mottled yellow and orange in fall.
Name: Malus 'Thunderchild'
Form: Upright spreader
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
This upright spreading or oval tree is exceptionally hardy. It has excellent resistance to fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar-apple rust, but is sensitive to apple scab. Trees may need fungicide sprays in scab-prone regions.
Name: Malus 'Thunderchild'
Form: Upright spreader
Size: 15-20 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Also sold as Candied Apple, this weeping tree has red buds that open to pink blooms. Candy-apple red fruits 1/2 inch in diameter cover the tree in fall. Foliage is green with a wine-red overcast.
Name: Malus 'Weepcanzam'
Form: Broad arching to weeping
Size: 10-15 feet tall and 12-15 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
The broadly arching branches of Weeping Candied Apple give it a mildly weeping form. Although it generally has good resistance to major foliar crabapple diseases, some growers report some susceptibility to apple scab.
Name: Malus 'Weepcanzam'
Form: Broad arching to weeping
Size: 10-15 feet tall and 12-15 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
Also known as redbud crabapple, Malus x zumi 'Calocarpa' has red buds that open to white flowers with a pink blush. Orange-red fruits are 1/2 inch in diameter and persist on the tree into early winter. The dark green foliage turns clear yellow in fall.
Name: Malus x zumi 'Calocarpa'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Named one of the top 10 crabapple varieties in the National Crabapple Evaluation Program, this rounded to pyramidal variety has good to excellent resistance to apple scab, cedar-apple rust, and powdery mildew. Fire blight resistance is only fair. Zumi Calocarpa was hybridized at Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum.
Name: Malus x zumi 'Calocarpa'
Form: Rounded
Size: 15-25 feet tall and 15-25 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
