Delightfully Diverse Crab Apples

Crab apples are wonderfully varied, from the little gem-like fruits of Malus brevipes 'Wedding Bouquet' (above, far left) to the large culinary crab apples of Malus 'Rosehip' with their pronounced calyx (above, far right).The fruits come in a range of colours, shapes and sizes, with colours ranging from bright yellow through to crimson red and dark purple.Some crab apples are particularly decorative and others are ideal for turning into delicious crab apple jelly or chutney. Those best for culinary use include Malus 'Butterball', Malus 'Jelly King', Malus 'John Downie', Malus 'Gorgeous', Malus x robusta Fruitilicious, Malus Marble and Malus 'Rosehip'. Crab apple trees also have wonderful spring blossom and are particularly beneficial to wildlife, with the flowers attracting many types of bee and the fruits being eaten by birds. They might just be the perfect garden tree.