Multi-seasonal interest. It is what gardeners seek but often have difficulty locating.
Well I’ve got a tree for you today that offers not 2 … not 3 … but 4 seasons of interest (hell, if there is ever a 5th season invented it will offer interest then too). Throw in the fact that it draws wildlife, is disease resistant, works in most soils and is low maintenance and you’ve got yourself one mother of an awesome tree.
I’m talking about Crabapple Prairifire:
I’ve only had this deciduous tree for three years now and it has been stellar since day one. I can only imagine it will continue to please in the years to come as it develops further.
A few quick tidbits on Crabapple Prairifire :
- Survives in zone 4-8
- Prefers full sun
- Mature size is approximately 15 x 15
- Prefers average soil moisture and can handle wet soil (woo hoo!!)
- Takes on a dense, rounded shape as it matures
- The ‘Prairifire’ cultivar was discovered in 1982 at the University of Illinois
Here are some photos I’ve taken over the past year or so (zone 6B) along with some additional factoids:
Within a week or so after that, the blooms have emerged and usually last 2-3 weeks:
Once the blooms have faded and dropped, the Crabapple Prairifire foliage begins to change to green and the crabapples begin to develop:
But back to the crabapples. They are my personal favorite aspect of this tree. They last from summer all the way into the fall and persist throughout the winter:
Crabapples in late Fall:
Crabapples in winter:
Crabapples during a late winter freeze:
I have yet to prune my Crabapple Prairifire since it is so young but may look to do so next winter.
I’ve been so happy with this tree to date that I am looking to add 2-3 more in the near future. I’ve even considered lining my driveway with them (got a few thousand dollars I can borrow?)
Seriously, 4-season interest is a rarity so how can you not jump all over these gems?
John
it definitely hangs onto those apples, doesn’t it!? very pretty!
What a beautiful tree!
We inherited three crab apples that look pretty much the same in bloom, but no crab apples!
I am sold on it but the heat here dries out the soil.
Love crabapples. I’ll have to look for that one. Do you ever have problems with early leaf dropping with your crabapples? The extension office said it was due to some virus. It doesn’t seem to hurt the tree, but it is unsightly for the second part of summer.
Wow, beautiful photos. It’s easy to see why you like this tree so well. You can’t beat 4 season interest.
It is a wonderful tree. Our town in is bloom finally but it is too cold to go out and capture it. Maybe in a few days I can venture out.
Beautiful Tree!
Beautiful tree, I love flowering crabs too, but around here we have to choose those that are resistant to the various foliar beasties out there. Love the color of those blooms, so very pretty.
lovely tree and a more beautiful house!
Hi John, new here and thanks for ‘dropping by’ my blog today.
We have a variant of your Crabapple……a weeping flowering Crab. They are great trees and pretty well indestructible! We are in Zone 5b here in Nova Scotia and they ‘stand up quite nicely!
Crabapple trees are delightful and yours seems to be an exceptional variety. Having a yard full of them would be splendid. Maybe the 5th season is enjoying crabapple jam or jelly!
That’s one plant I miss from the Midwest, you don’t see quite as many in the PNW.
Wow! That’s a gorgeous tree! I’ve been considering one to replace a dying cherry tree.
A very pretty tree.
Prairifire DOES NOT get apple scab which is what causes the early leaf drop. The leaves have a burgundy cast to the undersides throughout the summer. The bark is also burgundy gray and is beautiful in winter. And in the spring, the robins and Bohemian waxwings fight it out for who is going to get slightly tipsy cleaning off the fruit that has persisted through winter. I agree–a real winner in zone 4 and 5 and just gets prettier with time. A little pruning to discourage crossing branches is about all it needs. Kudos to some gorgeous photos!
That’s a fine lookin’ tree ~ I’ll have to remember that one. Thanks for sharing!
That is quite pretty. I absolutely love the color of the blooms, not to mention the year ’round interest. Hmmmm, I might need to see if there’s room for one of those somewhere….
What a stunning tree! I wish I had some room for one as I’d definitely go for it!
I quite like like crabapples, but you don’t see them much in Australia and if you do, chances are its a Malus ioensis ‘Plena’.
The most common ‘exotic’ ornamental planted in street scapes is the ornamental pear, but I imagine the crabapple does a similar thing… Maybe I will have to start making some changes to the planting schedule at work!
It’s a beauty, almost more so in its dormant season. But really lovely all year — your photos are a wonderful record of this enchanting changing tree!
Hi a person after my own heart…. neurotic NOT Obsessive MAYBE Gardener A definate wannabe.
Love your crabapple tree. Do you eat the crabapples or maybe make jelly? What a plus if you can.
Keep up the good work. And, yes, Gardening is work.
Latane
Nice colour.
Is there anything you can do with crabapples?
Beautiful tree and fantastic photographs. Wondering if you have to pick up a lot of crabapples off the ground? or do the birds do all the clean up?
That is a beautiful tree. I’ve been thinking of planting a tree here – we have plenty of space. The fact that it has year-round interest is certainly a great selling point.
Very nice pictures.
ooh I love your photos! Great looking tree. I like your blog. Looking forward to spending some time going through your past posts. (p.s. we’re practically neighbors… I’m over here in Somerset, NJ)
We had a young crabapple, but cut it down due to the dropping of the ‘fruit’ all over the…sidewalk. Yep, if you plant a crabapple, plant it away from a driveway or sidewalk (we inherited ours from previous owner). The hydrangea in your other post: I’d suggest you dig it up, trim off that dead, and then replant.
ok, sold!
Hhmm… That crabapple looks gorgeous, i would definately consider buying one for the next garden (our current place is on the market) I had a hydrangea once but it grew so weak and spindley, the winter saw it off.