The crabs are among the loveliest of the flowering trees. Here are some disease resistant crabs that are perfect for landscapes.
Professor Sprenger Crab
This delightful crab apple is 20 to 25 feet tall with an upright spreading growth habit. Opening mid to late season, the scented blooms are white. These open from reddish-pink buds. The orange-red fruits are disliked by birds, and persist into the winter.
Professor Sprenger crab shows excellent resistance to the major diseases though it can occasionally experience leaf spot in some parts of the country. Introduced during the 1950’s, this is an introduction from the Netherlands.
Hardy to zone four, this tree is 20 to 25 feet tall with a matching spread. It has an upright, spreading growth habit. Beautiful in bloom, this lovely tree features colorful dark red buds. The lightly scented blooms are purplish-pink, and open mid to late season. These are over 1½ inches in diameter.
The fruits are red. Profusion crab is considered one of the best red-flowering crabs with disease resistance. It shows some resistance to the major diseases though it can suffer from mildew in some areas of the country.
Purple Prince Crab
Hardy to zone three, Purple Prince is a rounded, fast growing tree. It reaches 20 feet in height with an equal spread. The leaves are purple when they first emerge, fading to greenish-bronze. The foliage turns red in the fall.
Opening early in the season, the blossoms are pink to pinkish-red. This features colorful purple fruits. This shows excellent resistance to fire blight, rust, and scab. Purple Prince crab has good resistance to mildew. Introduced in the late 1980’s, this was bred by Father John Fiala. It is considered by experts to be one of the best purple leaved crabs.
Red Baron Crab
Introduced in 1980, this gorgeous crab is a narrow, columnar tree that reaches 18 to 20 feet in height with a spread of ten feet or so. It has deep red blossoms that open mid to late season. When the foliage first emerges it is purplish-red, later changing to greenish-bronze. The leaves become orange during the fall.
The fruits are deep red, and tend to cling to the tree. Red Baron crab has excellent resistance to mildew, fair resistance to scab, and good resistance to fire blight and rust.