Flowering Crab Apple
Malus Purpurea Neville Copeman
 

A very attractive crab apple grown for its flowers and fruit. 

In spring you get a sheet of purplish pink blossom and in autumn a mass of rich purple fruits that ripen to a wonderful warm orange.
Size afer 10 years: approximately 4m (13ft) tall by 3m (10ft) across.
This variety is pollinated easily
Plant this tree as soon as you purchase it in a sunny site with neautral soil with a PH between 6.5 and 7.5.
Improve the soil structure by double digging and mixing in well rotted manure or compost before planting
Soak the root ball in its bag or pot in a bucket of water overnight, dig a hole large enough to fit the whole root ball comfortably. Remove the root ball from the pot or bag and plant making sure that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil, or up to 2.5cm deeper. Tread firmly and water in thoroughly. Stake the tree and secure with a tree tie to prevent it from rocking before the root ball is established.

Aftercare:

Water every day for the first month and then once a week with 10 litres of water for the next six months to a year. After that it will only need watering in very dry weather.
Keep the area around the roots free of weeds especially in the first year.
Mulch it in Spring every year to improve moisture retention, soil structure and deter the growth of weeds.
Normally you do not need to prune this tree but if you want to limit its size then prune back the new growth in late July or August.
As crab apples are native to England, you do not need to feed it, but a top dressing of a general purpose fertiliser in spring can be beneficial.
Usually you do not need to spray this plant with pesticide or fungicide. These plants can be attacked by aphids, scab and mildew. If you need to spray it then follow the instructions on the packaging.