Purple Prince Crabapple

Malus 'Purple Prince'

Plant Details:

Plant Type: Deciduous Tree

Plant Family: Rosaceae

Plant Description: This small, rounded crabapple blooms in the spring and has attractive cherry-like bark and small ovate leaves. Young spring foliage is purplish bronze, maturing to green in the summer, and gold in the fall. Deep pink flowers appear in the spring and develop bluish purple fruit that persist through the winter, providing winter interest and food for birds. This tree is salt tolerant, attractive to birds, and pollinator friendly.

Maintenance:

Maintenance Type: Tree - Deciduous

Plant Care: Tree - Deciduous (single-stemmed woody plants that lose their leaves every winter): Prune regularly to promote health, provide air circulation, maintain a desirable shape, and to remove dead or damaged branches. Pruning is best done in late winter to early spring for most trees. With spring blooming trees, prune after the blooms are spent. Choose species that are resistant to pest damage. Monitor the tree for pests, diseases or other ailments on a regular basis. Protect the trunk especially where maintenance activities, such as mowing, may cause damage. Newly planted trees in areas with high exposure should have the trunk protected during the winter.

Video: Pruning Deciduous Trees - Spring Cleanup

Plant Attributes:

Mature Size: 15-20' tall x 15-20' wide

Utah Native: No

Nativar: No

Plant Select: Unknown

Pollinator Favorite: Yes

Localscapes: Tree

Evergreen: No

Foliage Interest: No

Foliage Colors: Bronze, Green

Bloom Colors: Pink

Bloom Seasons: Early Spring

Bloom Period: Apr - Apr

Erosion Control: No

Ground Cover: No

Edible: Yes

Fire Wise: Yes

Growing Conditions:

Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8

Light Requirement: Full Sun (6+ hrs sun)

Irrigation Requirement:

Moderate (1/2" every 7-10 days)

Salt Tolerant: Unknown

Deer Tolerant: No

Garden Location:

Commercial Concepts
- Education Center Plaza

Garden Staff Tips & Insights:

Edibility notes: Crabapples are edible, though often very bitter and unpalatable. Harvesting after the first few frosts may reduce astringency. Cooking into jams, jellies, syrups, and ciders, may also reduce bitterness. They are very high in pectin and can be used to thicken jams and jellies. Seeds should not be consumed in large quantities. Blossoms are also edible and can be used raw in salads or garnishes or cooked into teas, syrups, or jellies.

Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter