PHS’s Tree of the Month
By Casey Combs

I love October. The changing leaves, Sunday football, pumpkin carving, Halloween, the Phillies winning the World Series…next year—there is so much to see and do. Of all the autumn activities, my favorite is apple picking. That’s why I’m devoting the October Tree of the Month post to the entire Malus genus. There are literally hundreds of edible apples to choose from, but, being an urban arborist, my main interest lies in the ornamental crabapple varieties.

You may be tempted to scoff at my selection, but hear me out. Crabapples offer beautiful flowers in spring and wonderful, persistent fruit in late fall; lending it year-round interest in any landscape. Some newer varieties are also disease- and pest-resistant.

Crabapples are also used heavily in the production of traditional domestic apples. Domestic apple buds are often grafted onto the more cold-hardy root stock of certain crabapple varieties, allowing apple orchards to thrive farther north. Crabapples are also used as pollinizers (not to be confused with pollinators) in apple orchards.

True, the fruit of crabapple trees is seldom eaten raw because of the sour taste, but it can make a delicious jam or a tangy cider. In my opinion, this awesome tree also makes the best cooking wood; it burns slow and hot and has a great sweet/smoky smell.

I hope this post helped clear the name of a much-maligned tree. If you’re a proud tree hugger, consider giving the crabapple a big embrace.

Click here to read previous installments of Casey’s Tree of the Month.