Although they were first developed for their fruit, breeding and selection have during the last fifty years improved flowers, fall foliage, fruit retention, disease resistance and varied growth habits. Today hundreds of different crabapples are available. The flower colors range from white to purple, pink to deep red. Their growth habits include weeping, spreading, rounded, vase-like and columnar. Tree height at maturity might range from 8 to 35 feet.
Many new selections are resistant to common apple diseases such as scab, fire blight and rust.
And selection for fall leaf color along with fruit retention has made the crabapple a versatile, four-season plant. Our collection contains over 210 specimens representing 135 kinds of crabapples. Some of the specimens. are forty years old. The time these trees flower varies from year to year, but the best chance for viewing is usually between May 10 and 20. During the rest of the year, there is a wide range of leaf and fruit characteristics to see.