The list I have compiled is by no means comprehensive, but is a start in helping you plan ornamental crabapples for birds. It’s just that they are not good plants for attracting birds or for siting in areas where fruit drop is not acceptable (by walkways or patios). These are still among the finest ornamental crabapple trees for fruit color persistence in the winter. The little crabapples drop from the trees before flowering in spring. Malus ‘Donald Wyman’, Malus ‘Red Jewel’, Firebird® Crabapple, and ‘Adams’ Crabapple are cultivars that retain their fruit all through winter. I would say they are the ultimate in crabapples for birds.Ī common misconception in the trade that yours truly had fallen prey to earlier in his career is that all small-fruited crabapples are taken by the birds. They feed the birds from mid-autumn all the way into spring. Two cultivars that I know of have fruits that soften very unevenly. It’s fun to watch! Two of these cultivars are ‘Bob White’ and ‘Sentinel’. The fruits will have a bit of alcohol in them. It has dark green foliage throughout the season. Morphology: Sugar Tyme Flowering Crab will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. I guess you could call it a little extra toot for the snoot. Description One of the most scab resistant crab apples on the market, the cultivar Sugar Tyme is known for its profusion of fragrant white blossoms that smother the branches in late April. The cultivars whose fruit softens in late winter often provide a little pick me up for the birds. Trees that have delayed softening and provide bird food in late fall and into mid-winter include: Malus ‘Prairifire’, Malus ‘Mary Potter’, Malus x zumi ‘Calocarpa’, Malus ‘Profusion’, and Malus ‘Anne E’. Golden Raindrops® Crabapple has abundant clusters of tiny, golden-yellow fruits that are eaten by birds in fall. Malus baccata ‘Jacki’, Malus ‘Cinderella’, Malus ‘Louisa’, Malus sargentii, Malus sargentii ‘Tina’, and Malus ‘Golden Raindrops’ are examples of trees that are eaten first by the birds in mid to late autumn. The various cultivars typically become soft after a series of frosts in the fall and winter. If a person wants, he or she can plant a mixture of various cultivars to feed the birds all through our leafless seasons.Ĭrabapples for birds are often determined by the size and the hardness of the fruit. You see, many ornamental crabapples on the market today have little fruits that soften at various times throughout the season from fall through early spring. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to watch them come alive with beautiful natural birds pecking away at the tiny fruits. Cedar Waxwings, robins, cardinals, and an occasional squirrel, are all attracted to these trees. These are the trees that bring us together. Ones that all of us can commune with in a natural, “kumbaya” sort of way. Ones that are truly for the birds to feed on. I ain’t talking about crappy crabapples here! I’m talking about trees without those problems. Left: Robin in crabapple tree | Right: The fruit of Golden Raindrops® is squishable, perfect for birds to enjoy.
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