My Crab Apple Trees

Here are some photos taken on May 2, 2009 during a nature walk around my yard.

When we bought this home it had six crab apple trees planted in a spot that is too small for them. I was not happy with these trees for several reasons and that prevented me from appreciating the beauty of the blossoms. Once a homeschool mom friend went crazy over the trees in bloom and begged me to let her cut a branch to take home and place in a vase. I was happy to agree.

The problem with the trees is they grow several feet a year, sometimes five feet a year. They need to be in a place where they can grow freely and not be cramped for space. These are next to my driveway where the branches hit cars and threaten to poke an eye out of anyone walking by. They need professional pruning at least once every two years and ideally every single year. They are prone to a fungus. When the fungus hits it can cause all the leaves to drop mid-summer. This used to happen annually when we first bought the house. I was told by an arborist that we should spray them with a chemical twice a year (costs over $300). We have well water and live near water company land so to me that should be avoided. We did spray a few times but since we stopped, oddly, the severe fungal infections stopped.

I now love the crab apple blossoms so I like the trees more. I don't feel these trees are right for their location but would like to have some in a place where they can grow freely.

When the crab apple flower buds appear they are small and dark pink. They quickly lose their dark color and when the blossom is fully open it can be hard to detect where the pink ever was. In this shot I tried to capture the lovely pink coloration.

The blossoms on the crab apple tree, at their peak, have thick white petals; sunlight doesn't pierce through the blossoms, so they always look creamy and soft.These blossoms have a strong floral scent which can be detected up to twenty feet away.

Looking up into the crab apple tree. Can you see the bees? When the tree is in sudden bloom thousands of bees and wasps appear. When you stand near the tree, all you can hear is the sound of many bees buzzing. It is incredible. This lasts usually for a couple of days then the peak bloom is over and the bee visitation decreases.

One thing I like to do when the trees are in bloom is stand under the flowering branches and look up. I feel surrounded by the blossoms and the light underneath, the sunlight filtered through so many white blossoms is different. The scent combined with the sound of the buzzing bees gives a surreal sensory experience.

All photos copyright ChristineMM. Taken in Fairfield County, Connecticut on 5/02/09 and are unedited.