Common Yet Complex - The Flowering Crabapple Tree

A flowering crabapple tree is one of the most common trees in the United States. Yards all over the country feature different varieties. They can offer a lot of features to their owners' landscapes, which is why they have become so popular in home landscapes.

This tree has the ability to fit in with almost any landscape: the flowering crabapple does not grow very large, which means that it will easily fit into any landscape scheme. The average flowering crabapple tree does not grow any larger than approximately 15 to 20 feet. This means that even if you have a very small yard, you can still feature these trees as a part of your landscap design.

A crabapple tree will enhance any yard, especially during the Spring months when they are blossoming. They are also very beautiful in the Fall when all of the crabapples have fallen off of the tree.

The biggest drawback to purchasing a flowering crabapple tree is that they can be a nuisance if you do not plan on using the apples that are grown. One crabapple tree can produce hundreds of apples.  This means that you will have a lot of cleaning up to do during the fall months. After all of the crabapples have fallen to the ground, you will have to pick them up and properly dispose of them. This is the main reason that people avoid buying a flowering crabapple tree.

Overall, the flowering crabapple tree can be a good choice for any landscape, large or small. Just remember that if you have no need for the crabapples that you will have a clean up project in store every fall. But for some people, the trade-off of picking up the apples for having a beautiful tree is worth it.

Think of serendipitous occurrences, those moments when you get pleasantly surprised by receiving more than what you were expecting, and you'll get a great idea about what the flowering crabapple tree is all about.  This tree type has made a name for itself because of its amazingly unique flowers.  Their buds radiate with a particular color, but once they blossom and their petals open up, a variety of vibrant colors different from their exterior petals will greet the senses.  Just imagine the effects of the same when they're in mid-bloom, with the backdrop of the tree's green leaves and brown branches!

Deceivingly simple yet marvelously complex, more than what the eyes can see, and flowers that hold so many surprises... these, in essence, are what the flowering crabapple tree is all about.

Crabapples are perfect choices for small to medium-sized gardens, as well as for gardeners looking for medium-sized trees.  Crabapples can grow as tall as 20 feet, which is relatively short when compared with other tree types.  The rate of growth, is quite slow for most varieties .  Crabapples, just like apples, belong to the family of roses.  Crabapples, however, bear smaller fruits than apple trees.  Nonetheless, they're just as tasty and juicy as their more popular cousins.

The flowering crabapple tree can take on a variety of shapes.  Its branches can be lowered, giving it the weeping look.  Or they can grow upright, which will give them the appearance of plum trees.  This tree can even look pyramidal and even spherical, depending on growing conditions and trimming practices.

The flowering crabapple tree grows best on fertile soil, rich with sand, clay and silt.  In addition, the soil must be moist, and should boast of an acidity level of 6 to 6.5 pH.  These facts should not be taken to mean that crabapples will only grow on such soil conditions.  Lesser quality soil can still be used, but to ensure proper growth for the tree, other stressful conditions should be avoided.  Fertilizing every three months is advised.

Crabapples, much like apples again, require an adequate amount of direct sunlight.  Experts say that an exposure of 8 to 12 hours is critical, because this tree type in a sun lover.  It is important to keep clean soil by applying the proper amount of water and by regular application of plant-safe insecticide as the flowering crabapple tree is quite susceptible to fungal attacks.