CHRISTMAS crackers!
With fruits that adorn branches like festive baubles, crab apples are…
BUYING a new tree often means deciding whether you want pretty spring flowers, showy autumn foliage or jewel-like fruit. But there’s a clan that ticks all of those boxes, while providing a multitude of other benefits to the garden.
Crab apples, a family of smallto-medium-size trees, get their year off to a flying start by producing clouds of white, pink, red or purplish blossom in late spring. This is followed by a good display of autumn colour, and during the cold season, bare trees add interest with their gnarled silhouettes.
Of course, crab apple trees are justly famed for the fruit that adorn branches like festive baubles at this time of the year. Measuring from ½in to 3in across, the fruit comes in shades of yellow, orange, red and purple, with some two-tone types. Many varieties of crab apple retain their fruit over winter, and sometimes into early spring.
Crab apples are native to North America, Asia and Europe, with one found on our shores: common crab apple (Malus sylvestris). This is a small, spreading tree that produces pink-tinged white flowers in spring followed by greeny-yellow fruit. You’ll occasionally see it in old hedgerows and woodland edges.
Like many indigenous plants, common crab apple is steeped in folklore. Branches were burnt by Celts during fertility rituals, and roasted fruits were added to cider swigged at wassailing ceremonies. On Twelfth Night, men would go into orchards and bless the trees to ensure a good crop in the autumn.
In some parts of the country, seeds from the fruit were treated as a kind of primitive dating app.
Those in search of Mr or Miss Right would toss a handful of pips into a fire and say the name of a possible suitor at the same time. If the pips made a popping sound, it confirmed that the person in question was marriage material.
Wild species from around the globe became popular garden trees in Britain on their arrival in the 18th and 19th Centuries. In the 20th Century, these gave breeders the DNA to create hundreds of varieties. They vary greatly in shape, from tall to dwarf, and from upright to those with a weeping habit.
Apart from providing ornamental value, crab apples are a must-have for wildlife gardeners.
The blossoms attract bees and pollinators in springtime, while birds descend on trees to eat aphids and other insects. Our feathered friends are also partial to their fruit, and small mammals eat those that drop to the ground.
The miniature apples are also edible for humans and are a good source of Vitamin C. They are too tart to eat raw, however, and are best turned into delicious jams, jellies and chutneys. These preserves tend to set really easily, due to the fruit’s high pectin content.
Crab apple trees prefer fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, although they will tolerate partial shade. Large varieties make great specimens for lawns, while smaller ones are perfect for adding vertical interest to beds and borders.
Another option is to raise dwarf varieties in large pots filled with John Innes No 3 compost.
Looking after crab apples is a doddle. For the first few years after planting, water plants regularly, especially during dry spells. Keep the ground around trees free of weeds and mulch with a 3in layer of garden compost or manure in early spring.
Prune trees during the winter, removing any damaged or crossing branches.