Flowering crabapples are one of the showiest flowering trees for impressive spring landscaping. But the show doesn’t stop when the flowers close. These attractive, versatile small trees produce an abundance of edible summer fruits and brightly colored fall foliage. The prolific flowers attract bees, butterflies, and any other pollinators, making them excellent trees for wildlife. Birds and other small wildlife feast on the fruits.

Crabapples are members of the rose family (Rosaceae) in the genus Malus. There are about 50 different species and a tremendous number of hybrids and cultivars. Regardless of which variety you grow, research shows that they all thrive in similar conditions with full sun and moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. This article details 21 beautiful and easy-to-grow crabapple varieties you can add to your home landscape.

‘Adams’

	botanical name Malus ‘Adams’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Adams’ is a crabapple cultivar that can grow 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It develops a dense branching system with an attractive symmetrical, rounded crown.

While the leaves of this variety are primarily green during most of the growing season, they typically emerge in spring with a light reddish tint. Deep pink flower buds open to reveal dense clusters of single pink blossoms. The small, ½ inch red fruits are long-lasting into late fall and winter. 

‘Adirondack’

	botanical name Malus ‘Adirondack’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12 – 18 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

This upright flowering crabapple tree makes a fine addition to the landscape. ‘Adirondack’ grows 12 to 18 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide with many upward-growing branches. It flowers in mid-spring, densely covering this small tree with masses of deep pink and white buds that open to reveal beautiful white flowers, showing just a touch of pink.

The medium-green leaves will turn reddish-orange in the autumn. Deep salmon-pink fruits measure ½ inch across and are extremely showy.

‘Beverly’

	botanical name Malus ‘Beverly’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 25 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The ‘Beverly’ crabapple cultivar grows between 15 and 25 feet tall and equally wide. It develops a spreading, rounded crown and makes an excellent small shade tree. In early to mid-spring, red flower buds open to reveal snowy white flowers.

Attractive ¾ inch fruits turn bright red at the end of summer. The fruits mature in the fall and persist on the tree into the winter months, providing an excellent food source for winter birds. The bright green leaves turn coppery-yellow when the weather chills in autumn. 

‘Brandywine’

	botanical name Malus ‘Brandywine’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Brandywine’ is a spectacularly flowering crabapple tree cultivar. Large, double, dark pink flowers practically engulf the branches in late spring with a blanket of fragrant, vibrantly soft pink petals.

‘Brandywine’ grows between 15 and 20 feet tall and equally as wide. Relatively large, attractive, greenish-yellow fruits follow the flowers and help feed the resident bird population. The bright green summer leaves turn to a coppery yellow and then dark maroon-red in the fall for a beautiful autumn display.

‘David’

	botanical name Malus ‘David’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12 – 15 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

This cultivar is a compact smaller tree with a rounded crown. ‘David’ grows only 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The leaves are light green and glossy during the growing season, turning yellow in the fall.

This cultivar blooms heavily in alternating years, so don’t worry if it doesn’t flower one year. The following year’s display will be well worth the wait! While blooming, ‘David’ provides one or two weeks’ worth of snowy white single flowers that open from pale pink buds. The fruits measure only ½ inch or less and are bright red, persisting into the winter months.

‘Donald Wyman’

	botanical name Malus ‘Donald Wyman’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Donald Wyman’ flowering crabapple trees are popular in landscaping. They can grow up to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide. These trees have a broad, spreading form full of dark green leaves that turn golden yellow in autumn.

In mid to late spring, a profusion of pink buds opens to reveal fragrant, pure white, single flowers. The flowers are followed by glossy red fruits that measure ¾ to 1 inch across.

‘Louisa’

	botanical name Malus ‘Louisa’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12 – 15 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Louisa’ is a spectacular cultivar with an eye-catching form. This highly ornamental weeping crabapple variety grows between 12 and 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. ‘Louisa’ is an early spring bloomer with pink buds and pale pink and white single flowers.

Not only are the branches and flowers lovely, but they also produce colorful fruits. Its tiny yellow-orange crabapple fruits are less than ½ across but provide a tasty treat for foraging birds. The dark green, glossy foliage turns yellow-orange in autumn. 

‘Prairifire’

	botanical name Malus ‘Prairifire’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

This stunning tree is for those who want to make a statement with their landscape. ‘Prairifire’ is all about red. Its dark green leaves are tinged with red, the stems and leaf veins are red, and the flowers begin as crimson red buds and open to reveal masses of long-lasting bright pink blossoms. Its small ½ inch fruits are bright red. Even the fall foliage becomes reddish-bronze.

‘Prairifire’ grows 20 feet wide and tall, with a somewhat rounded, upright, spreading crown, making this a beautiful smaller shade tree. 

‘Prairie Rose’

	botanical name Malus ‘Prairie Rose’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Prairie Rose’ is a small flowering crabapple tree reaching 20 feet wide and tall. It has a rounded, spreading crown and makes an appealing smaller shade tree. The flowers are large and fragrant. Crimson buds open into abundant and beautiful deep pink blossoms.

If you don’t like cleaning up crabapple fruits on the ground, this cultivar is ideal because it is usually fruitless, although this means you also won’t get the showy fruit display of most other varieties. The leaves of ‘Prairie Rose’ are a medium-green color and turn yellow in the fall.

‘Purple Prince’

	botanical name Malus ‘Purple Prince’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Purple Prince’ is a small, rounded tree with upright, spreading branches. It can grow 18 to 20 feet tall with branches up to 20 feet wide. Young leaves emerge as a maroon-tinged green, turning dark green in the summer, then golden yellow in the fall.

Deep maroon-pink flower buds open into spectacular, single, deep pink blossoms. By fall, these trees produce many ½ inch purple fruits. The fruits are long-lasting and persist into the winter, providing a valuable food source for birds and other wildlife.

‘Profusion’

	botanical name Malus × moerlandsii ‘Profusion’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 30 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Are you looking for a small flowering crabapple tree with huge ornamental value? Look no further than ‘Profusion.” This cultivar develops a very attractive upright spreading crown and grows up to 30 feet tall and wide.

It’s an early-season bloomer, so your spring landscape will start with a bright and colorful bang. Deep fuchsia buds open into single, deep pink blossoms. The ½ inch fruits are also bright red and extremely showy. The leaves of this cultivar emerge purplish-green in the spring and become bronze by mid-summer.

‘Radiant’

	botanical name Malus ‘Radiant’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 30 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The ‘Radiant’ flowering crabapple tree is as showy as its name implies. These trees can grow up to 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide. They have an upright, rounded crown with dense branches that fill with radiant flowers.

Each spring, the many deep red buds will open to reveal single dark pink blossoms. The leaves emerge red in the early spring but become green as they age. ‘Radiant’s’ small red fruits are just as attractive as the flowers and measure only ½ inch across.

‘Red Barron’

	botanical name Malus ‘Red Barron’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Red Barron’ is another variety that nearly glows red. These trees can grow up to 18 feet tall with an 8-foot spread. These are columnar trees that are very useful for narrow spaces. They look great when grown with several others as a tall hedgerow.

‘Red Barron’ is an early blooming variety with single, bright reddish-pink flowers. Its long-lasting ½-inch fruits are also bright red and long-lasting, persisting on the tree into the winter months and attracting hungry winter birds. The ‘Red Barron’ leaves emerge purple-tinted in the spring, changing to bronze-green in the summer before turning bright orange-red in the fall.

‘Red Jade’

	botanical name Malus × scheideckeri ‘Red Jade’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12 – 15 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Red Jade’ is a smaller cultivar, growing only 15 feet tall, with a 15-foot spread. It develops long, slender, gracefully weeping branches and has a very showy overall form. This variety is best grown as a single specimen, so you can fully appreciate its ornamental appeal.

Pink buds open into white flowers with a slight pink blush. After flowering, wait for the ½ inch, glossy, bright red fruits nestled among its bright green leaves.

‘Royal Raindrops’

	botanical name Malus ‘JFS-KW5’ ROYAL RAINDROPS
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Just when everything is looking perfectly green in the springtime, ‘Royal Raindrops’ bursts into bloom with a profusion of bright pink to red blossoms. This small tree grows just 15 to 20 feet tall and up to 16 feet wide. It develops a very appealing upright, spreading form and makes an excellent landscaping tree.

The flowers are followed by tiny ¼ inch bronze fruits that are popular with foraging birds. The bronze-tinged green leaves turn red and orange for a showy fall foliage display. 

Sargent Crabapple

	botanical name Malus sargentii
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6 – 8 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 7

The Sargent crabapple is a naturally dwarf species native to Japan. It grows only eight feet tall but can reach 15 feet wide. Sargent crabapple develops a shrubby, broadly horizontal spreading form and makes a good hedge or background planting.

In early spring, M. sargentii is covered with red buds that become fragrant, pure white flowers. The tiny ¼ to ½ inch fruits are abundant and persistent, lasting into the winter. The dusky green leaves may have a wash of purple and turn brilliant shades of red and orange in the fall. 

Sargent ‘Tina’

	botanical name Malus sargentii ‘Tina’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4 – 5 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Tina’ is a cultivar of the Sargent crabapple and is one of the smallest varieties available. This dwarf variety grows only 5 feet tall and would be the best crabapple variety to try growing in a container.

‘Tina’ has a nicely rounded crown with widely spreading branches. In early spring, watch for the reddish buds to open into a proliferation of fragrant pure white flowers. Tiny ¼ inch fruits are bright red and appealing to the resident birds. 

‘Snowdrift’

	botanical name Malus ‘Snowdrift’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15 – 20 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

As its name implies, ‘Snowdrift’ is a white-flowering crabapple with a multitude of snowy white blossoms that open from delicate pink buds. This cultivar grows up to 20 feet tall and equally as wide and makes a very lovely small shade tree.

This is a popular variety with a symmetrical, broadly rounded crown and upright form. ‘Snowdrift’ fruits are ½ inch wide and a showy orange color. Its bright green glossy leaves turn golden yellow in the autumn.

Southern Crabapple

	botanical name Malus angustifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 20 – 30 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 9

The southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia) is a species native to the southeastern United States. It grows in open woodlands and along woodland edges. The southern crabapple blooms in mid to late spring. Rich pink buds become fragrant, showy, pale pink flowers that will attract a multitude of pollinators.

The sawtooth leaves are typically green but can display shades of red and purple at maturity. Small ¾ to one-inch fruits are bright yellow-green and sour tasting but will attract plenty of hungry birds and other wildlife.

‘Sugar Tyme’

	botanical name Malus ‘Sutyzam’ SUGAR TYME
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 14 – 18 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Sugar Tyme’ is as sweet as sugar. In early to mid-spring, its branches are laden with densely packed pure white, fragrant, single flowers that open from delicate pink buds. This small tree grows up to 18 feet tall and 15 feet wide.

It has an attractive upright, spreading growth form with an oval crown and makes an excellent small shade tree. After flowering, watch for the ½ inch, bright red fruits that will persist into the fall and winter and provide food for foraging wildlife.

Sweet Crabapple

	botanical name Malus coronaria
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15 – 30 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria) is a species native to eastern North America. This small tree grows between 15 and 30 feet tall with a broad, open, symmetrical crown. In the springtime, the sweet crabapple bursts into bloom with a profusion of fragrant, pale pink flowers that open from pale pink buds.

The light green leaves turn golden yellow in the fall. Also, in the fall, watch for the bitter ¾ to one-inch fruits turning from green to yellow. You can use these fruits to make preserves or leave them on the trees as a wildlife-friendly feast.

Frequently Asked Questions