Consider a crab apple for your garden
These useful trees look good and are great for wildlife
Greg Loades
UThe best spot to plant a crab apple is in full sun, although they can grow well in partial shade, too. Any soil that doesn’t become waterlogged is suitable for crab apples, but bear in mind that if your soil is very sandy and free-draining then you’ll have to water it more frequently. A moistureretentive clay soil is ideal. Avoid planting crab apples near hard surfaces or around parked cars as the fallen fruits can create a mess that’s difficult to clear up!
Dig a hole twice as wide and a little bit deeper than the rootball of the tree.
Unless your soil is poor there’s no need for extra organic matter, but a sprinkling of Rootgrow will aid establishment.
If your tree is sizeable bang a tree stake into the soil in the direction of the prevailing wind.
Put back some of the mixed soil in the hole and place the tree on the soil surface to check the planting depth. For potted trees, plant slightly shallower than it was in the pot, so the top of the fruits through autumn and all through winter, an attractive shape and a tendency to not grow too big.
They’re also superb trees for a wildlife-friendly garden. The flowers provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and the fruits are a favourite of blackbirds, thrushes and crows (although they’ll leave the yellow ones until last!), as well as mice and voles searching for winter food. compost is slightly proud of soil level. For bare-root trees, plant so that the ‘bulge’ in the trunk is just proud of soil level.
They’re effective pollinators of eating apples if you have apple trees elsewhere in the garden, helping to boost your crop.
And as a potential Christmas bonus, not only can stems with fruit on make great home-made festive decorations, but crab apples are one of the trees that act as host plants for mistletoe!
‘John Downie’
An old favourite but that’s because it’s a reliable, vigorous grower as well as the fruits of it being good for crab apple jelly. It starts off with white spring blossom, pale pink in bud and produces large fruits for a crab apple, with an eye-catching mix of orange and red, which will complement the fiery autumn foliage. Height: 7m (23ft).