Wild Apples
Good Organic Gardening|September - October 2019

MEDIUM-SIZED DECIDUOUS TREES WITH ATTRACTIVE FLOWERS AND SMALL FRUIT, CRABAPPLES CAN HELP POLLINATE APPLES

Jennifer Stackhouse
Wild Apples

Crabapples are very rewarding trees to grow as they are both ornamental and productive. They sport beautiful blossoms in spring and small but attractive fruit that ripens in autumn and can persist on the tree for many months, often well into winter. The leaves turn yellow in autumn before they fall.

While you can’t pluck a crabapple from the tree and munch away as you can with its close relative the apple, the fruit does make beautiful, tasty jelly and can be enjoyed as a paste known as “cheese”.

Crabapples are rich in pectin. When boiled they produce pectin stock that can then be used to set other fruit jams such as strawberry jam.

There is however another very important reason to grow crabapples: these flowering trees can assist in the pollination of apples.

While we don’t enjoy fresh, uncooked “crabs”, birds do and so do lots of furry creatures such as possums. A friend who raises deer and has a large garden with several beautiful crabapples picks bucket loads each autumn to feed to the deer.

VARIETIES

The fruit is so attractive and ornamental that many cultivars have been developed for their large and colorful fruit. Large, of course, is relative. A large crabapple is closer in size to an oversized cherry or a small plum. Fruit colors range from golden yellow to deep red.

The Japanese crabapple (Malus floribunda) is a large tree with clusters of small red fruit. Old specimens can reach 6m or more high and wide and some can be taller than a two-story house.

However, most named varieties are much smaller in size and many are now available on a semi-dwarf rootstock, making them a suitable tree for a small garden or orchard. When grown on dwarfing rootstock, trees reach around 2–3m in height and 3–4m wide.

This story is from the September - October 2019 edition of Good Organic Gardening.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September - October 2019 edition of Good Organic Gardening.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GOOD ORGANIC GARDENINGView All
Glamour girls
Good Organic Gardening

Glamour girls

EVERYONE LOVES A HARDWORKING ISA BROWN BUT GET A LOAD OF THESE CHIC CHICKENS AND FEATHERED FASHIONISTAS

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
FRIED VEG
Good Organic Gardening

FRIED VEG

IT’S POSSIBLE TO ENJOY A FRY-UP IN A DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY WAY BY TURNING TO SOME FRY-FRIENDLY PLANTS

time-read
4 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
BEYOND BIG RED
Good Organic Gardening

BEYOND BIG RED

TOMATOES COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND COLOURS, SO NOW’S THE TIME TO EXPLORE THEIR INFINITE VARIETY

time-read
4 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
EVEN MORE TROPPO
Good Organic Gardening

EVEN MORE TROPPO

ANOTHER SENSATIONAL SIX TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR GARDEN — OR YOUR FRUIT SALAD

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
LET'S STALK RHUBARB
Good Organic Gardening

LET'S STALK RHUBARB

JUST AS TOMATO IS A FRUIT USED AS A VEGETABLE, RHUBARB IS A VEGETABLE COMMONLY CONSUMED AS A DESSERT

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
FOOD OF THE GODS
Good Organic Gardening

FOOD OF THE GODS

THE FLESHY FRUIT OF THE FICUS WAS MUHAMMAD’S FAVOURITE AND BUDDHA FOUND ENLIGHTENMENT UNDER A FIG TREE

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
MAKING GOOD BETTER
Good Organic Gardening

MAKING GOOD BETTER

THE IRREPRESSIBLE TV PRESENTER WRITES ABOUT HOW SHE, WITH HUSBAND ANTON AND DAUGHTER FRIDA, TURNED A STEEP HOBART BLOCK INTO A PRODUCTIVE GARDEN

time-read
7 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
True lily
Good Organic Gardening

True lily

MANY PLANTS ARE CALLED LILIES BUT IT’S THE MEMBERS OF THE GENUS LILIUM THAT ARE THE REAL DEAL

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
SALTY BUDS
Good Organic Gardening

SALTY BUDS

THE CAPER BUSH PRODUCES TWO DISTINCT BUT EQUALLY DELICIOUS, TANGY MORSELS: CAPERS AND CAPERBERRIES

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
Ducks on duty
Good Organic Gardening

Ducks on duty

BUSY, VIGILANT, HARD ON GARDEN PESTS AND GENEROUS LAYERS — YOU’VE GOTTA LOVE A DUCK!

time-read
5 mins  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.4