Crabapple is a tree for all seasons

When I was teaching woody plants at the University of Maine in Orono, I would take my classes to Littlefield Garden on the eastern edge of campus and we would walk among the crabapples. My main purpose was to introduce them to ‘Donald Wyman’, one of the more than 100 crabapple varieties in the collection, and no doubt the best of the lot. The variety was named in honor of the late Dr. Donald Wyman, renowned horticulturist at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.

Spring semester classes ended before the majority of crabapples were in bloom, including the single Donald Wyman in the garden, and I resorted to showing slides, first a close-up of the pink and red buds, then a shot of the entire tree, its wide-spreading branches layered in pure white flowers. And while students in spring would see the new foliage of every variety, I made sure to tell them that by late August, particularly if the summer was dry, only the foliage of Donald Wyman would still look fresh and clean, devoid of browning and spotting from the major crabapple diseases, fireblight, rust, and apple scab, and free of the feeding damage caused by insect pests such as aphids and Japanese beetles.

By fall, the majority of crabapple varieties in the garden have lost most of their leaves to diseases and insects, leaving little opportunity for display of fall color. Donald Wyman is the exception. At its October peak, the tree combines leaves of late summer green and bright yellow with the glossy bright red of maturing small apples, each about one-half inch in diameter.

The fruits of Donald Wyman persist into winter, often still on the tree in late January, capped with snow or wrapped in ice. Nearby, robins, waxwings (both cedar and Bohemian), and pine grosbeaks wait for the midwinter thaw to soften the apples. As they feast on the apples, they drop bits of peel to the ground, creating a reddish-brown shadow of the tree on the snow. The crabapple collection, along with several other species with persistent fruit, makes Littlefield Garden a popular winter spot among Orono-area birders, one of the few places to see both species of waxwing.

Professor Lyle E. Littlefield planted many of the crabapples in his collection in the middle of the last century. Other trees, including the Donald Wyman, were added as they were introduced. Most of the trees bear labels indicating the variety, although some of the oldest (and best) are unnamed varieties selected by Littlefield and planted as seedlings.

Dr. Littlefield’s primary interest was evaluation of crabapples grown with minimal maintenance. For decades, the trees grew without pruning or pest control, and the successes, particularly Donald Wyman, can be highly recommended for modern landscapes.

Gardeners interested in adding a small flowering tree to the garden should consider the multi-season ornamental beauty of Donald Wyman. Growing to 25 feet tall, it is the perfect size for smaller gardens. And few other choices would compare in offering spring flowers, healthy summer foliage, fall color from both foliage and fruit, and winter color from the persistent apples. With more than 600 crabapple types currently available in this country, Donald Wyman is among the best.

Send queries to Gardening Questions, P.O. Box 418, Ellsworth 04605, or to reesermanley@shead.org. Include name, address and telephone number.