We used to have a beautiful crabapple tree behind the house at our former residence. Over the years, it had been overgrown by a row of evergreens and received little attention from us. It had probably been planted some time before we moved into the house, and was showing its age in later years that we were there. Yet still it soldiered on. Every year, I wondered if it would survive the winter, and every spring it put out a magnificent display of pink flowers.
This spring, I invested in a set of 4 crabapple trees to line the pathway from the house to the barn. I envision them in their mature glory, making the short walk a spirit-lifting experience.
Some varieties of crabapple trees produce larger fruit that are good for eating. Crabapples are rich in pectin and are said to be excellent for making jelly, though I haven’t experimented with this myself. Others produce smaller apples and are primarily ornamental. The trees I chose are from the latter category. When the trees arrived, they were still dormant and looked like 8 foot long sticks with a tangle of roots attached. They seem to be settling in well and I was pleased and a bit surprised that they have all flowered. One of the trees produces white blossoms and is appropriately named “White Angel”.
The photograph above features the flowers of ‘Profusion”. It seems to be aptly named too,as it produced a profusion of blooms on its little limbs.
The other two trees, ‘Royalty’, above, and ‘Thunderchild” below (who could resist a tree called Thunderchild?’) are taking longer to settle in and only put out a few flowers, just enough to give me a glimpse of their future display. Crabapple blooms are reported to be a real favorite among pollinators, and the little apples are appreciated by wildlife, so I hope that they will be a hit with the locals.
Willow House Chronicles 