Crab apples (Malus sylvestris) are lovely small trees with beautiful blossom in Spring. The decorative fruits appear in the Autumn and often last into the Winter so the trees look as though covered in Christmas baubles. There are several varieties with different coloured fruits (from red through orange to yellow) and different growth habits.
The fruits are not edible raw but can be used to make crab apple jelly or crab apple liqueur.
Crab apples prefer a moist but well-drained soil in either sun or partial shade. They are hardy and will tolerate an exposed site.
Their mature height is about 8-10 m but it takes about 20 – 30 years to reach.
