Malus Dark Rosaleen - Crab Apple

Malus 'Dark Rosaleen' is a superb variety of ornamental crab apple tree that will captivate not only with its massive bright pink spring flowers, its particularly abundant fruiting, and also with its foliage which changes colour enhances that of the flowers and then that of the fruits, from spring to autumn. It also has a very hardy temperament and excellent disease resistance. Its countless small dark red apples delight both gardeners and birds, while its flowers feed bees. It is a self-fertile crab apple tree that does not require the presence of another apple tree to bear fruit.

Ornamental apple trees are derived from various botanical species of the genus Malus belonging to the Rosaceae family. Hardy, accommodating, and easy to grow, flowering apple trees thrive in ordinary soil but prefer loamy, deep, loose, and moist soil as well as a sunny exposure. Once established, they are low maintenance and maintain their beautiful qualities. Numerous cultivars have been developed in Europe as well as in the United States, becoming increasingly attractive and disease-resistant.

Malus 'Dark Rosaleen' is an elegant small tree with an upright and fairly narrow habit when young, but its crown widens with age. At maturity, it reaches an average size of about 6.50 m (21ft) in height and almost the same in width. It has wide, sturdy, and even branches and maintains a beautiful shape without the need for pruning. It has a long lifespan. Dark Rosaleen flowers in May or June, depending on the region, on branches adorned with very young red to brown leaves that will turn slightly green in summer. The flowers are numerous buds of a deep and shiny pink shade. They quickly open into small flowers, ranging from bright pink to light pink or blush white. These flowers are visited by bees, and this is followed by the formation of numerous tiny apples measuring 1 cm (1in) in diameter. When ripe in September-October, they are dark red in colour. They remain on the branches for quite some time if not eaten by birds. The deciduous foliage, barely purplish in summer, becomes bright orange to red in autumn before falling. It consists of ovate, alternate, and dentate leaves. The root system of this crab apple tree is a taproot-type: it will develop well in deep soils.

The 'Dark Rosaleen' apple tree finds its place in medium-sized gardens or large flower beds. In the orchard, it promotes the pollination of fruit-bearing apple trees that bloom at the same time. Its abundant flowering, although possibly less longlasting than that of a flowering cherry tree, is prolonged by the beauty of its fruits. It can be easily be associated with other fruit trees for small gardens. It also pairs well with large shrub roses, lilacs, or even hawthorns. When space allows, ornamental apple trees can be planted in a large hedge, on a slope, on in a rather magical spring , as well as in autumn with their often sumptuous colours at the end of the season.