Getting creative with flowering crabapple trees

Flowering crabapple trees have come a long way since Spring Snow Flowering Crabapple and Thunderchild Rosybloom Crabapple were introduced to the market more than 50 years ago.

Spring Snow was developed by Bert Porter at his nursery in northern Saskatchewan in the 1960s. A completely fruitless tree with masses of fragrant white flowers, Spring Snow became the leading crabapple cultivar in North America. Hardy to Zone 2, it grows to a height of 7.6 metres with a robust width of 6.1 metres. While Spring Snow continues to be an option for consumers who do not want messy fruit drop, it is highly susceptible to apple scab, a fungal disease that thrives in wet weather, causing premature leaf drop.

Thunderchild Rosybloom Crabapple was introduced by Saskatchewan breeder Percy Wright in 1974. Slightly smaller than Spring Snow, Thunderchild’s glossy purple foliage made it a top seller for many years. Although resistant to fire blight, a bacterial disease that causes dieback of branches, Thunderchild is also highly susceptible to apple scab.

Another older variety, Pink Spire Flowering Crabapple, is also highly susceptible to apple scab.