Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Roseybloom, Crabapple

Description:

A beautiful cultivar with an upward, stately habit, covered in snowy white blooms in spring; fruit is bright red, small and persistent and adds ornamental value for fall and winter; excellent scab resistance and very cold hardy

Ornamental Features

Starlite Flowering Crab is draped in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds before the leaves. The fruits are showy red pomes carried in abundance from early to late fall. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The glossy pointy leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Starlite Flowering Crab is a deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Starlite Flowering Crab is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Starlite Flowering Crab will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.