Other Names:  Roseybloom, Crabapple

Description:

A bold ornamental covered in showy white flowers in spring followed by large, glossy red fruit in fall which is great for preserves; a top notch accent tree for the home landscape, needs well-drained soil and full sun, large fruit can be messy

Ornamental Features

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

Landscape Attributes

Ralph Shay Flowering Crab is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. 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 is a high maintenance tree that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Ralph Shay Flowering Crab is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Ralph Shay Flowering Crab will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast 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.