Best garden varieties

These crab apples are all self-fertile, so they’ll produce fruit on their own without needing another pollinating tree

Malus hupehensis

A very graceful crab apple. The flower buds are a gorgeous soft pink in bud before opening to fresh white and the red fruits are surrounded by fiery orange and red foliage in autumn. Forms an upright, horizontally branching shape. Height: 5m (16½ft).

‘Scarlett’

The beauty of this variety is in the dark purple spring foliage, which blends beautifully with the hot pink blossom. Then in autumn the leaves take on shades of orange and yellow to go with the red fruits. Height: 4m (13ft).

‘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).

‘Rudolph’

Here’s a festive choice that’s far from a gimmick and great if you have a big garden. The flowers buds start off red before revealing warm pink blossom and the young leaves are a purple-red. The fruits start out yellowy-orange before maturing to cherry red. A good variety if you want to make jelly from the fruits. Height: 7m (23ft).

‘Butterball’

A good choice for a small garden, this tree produces pendulous branches that will drip with fresh white blossom in spring, before producing attractive buttery-coloured fruits that look like mini-apricots, held on bright red stalks. Height: 4m (13ft).