Other Names:  Roseybloom, Crabapple

Description:

A delightful flowering tree with edible yellow-green apples that are streaked with red; this tart, late season fruit can be used for cider, eating, freezing, baking; showy red flower buds open to fragrant white flowers; broadly sweeping branches

Ornamental Features

Crimson King Flowering Crab is clothed in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in early spring, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds before the leaves. The fruits are showy green pomes carried in abundance from early to late fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Crimson King Flowering Crab is a deciduous tree with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. 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 and bees to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy

Crimson King Flowering Crab is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Crimson King Flowering Crab will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 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 does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. 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. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.