Malus purpurea Neville Copeman - Purple Crab Apple

Malus 'Neville Copeman' is a quite spectacular selection of ornamental apple tree, first because of its abundant spring flowering in purple-pink, but also because of its beautiful foliage that retains a copper to purple blush in summer and remarkable fruits, large and well-coloured when ripe. It is a wide and bushy apple tree that stands out in the garden, even in winter. Useful for bees and birds, this small tree also serves as a good pollinator for fruit-bearing apple trees. Its only flaw is a poor resistance to scab.

Ornamental apple trees come from various botanical species of the genus Malus belonging to the rose family. Hardy, accommodating, and easy to grow, Flowering Apples are content with ordinary soil, but prefer loamy, deep, loose, and moist soil and sunny exposures. Once established, they tolerate being forgotten while maintaining their generous character. Many cultivars have emerged in Europe, as well as in the United States, becoming increasingly attractive and disease-resistant. 'Neville Copeman' came from a seedling of Malus x purpurea 'Eleyi'.

Malus 'Neville Copeman' is a small tree that develops a wide, semi-open, well-branched crown, almost as wide as it is tall, often asymmetrical. Its average dimensions at maturity are about 6m high and 5m in spread. It develops wood covered with smooth dark reddish-brown bark. The abundant flowering takes place in May, earlier or later depending on the region, on branches which are still bare or barely covered with very young purple leaves. It takes the form of numerous, very dark pink buds that quickly open into single flowers, 3-4 cm in diameter. Their colour is a lilac pink tending towards purple, becoming duller and darker before fading. These flowers, gathered in small clusters, are followed by young leaves. The flowers are loved by bees and followed by the formation of many fruits measuring between 3 and 4 cm in diameter. When ripe, in September-October, their reddish-orange background becomes tinged with violet and they are covered with a wax that gives them a light red to pinkish colour. These beautiful little apples remain on the branches for a long time if not eaten by birds. The deciduous foliage turns green as it unfolds, while always retaining a slightly coppery to plum colour, even in summer. It becomes yellow-orange in autumn before falling. The leaves are ovate, alternate, and toothed.

Malus 'Neville Copeman' is suitable for medium-sized gardens and large plots. Its charming flowering may be less long-lasting than that of a flowering cherry tree, but it is prolonged by the undeniable beauty of its fruits. You can easily associate it with spring-flowering shrubs. It will also accompany large shrub roses, lilacs, or even hawthorns. When space is available, ornamental apple trees, planted in a large hedge on a slope bordering a sunken path, create a rather magical scene in spring, as well as in autumn, as their colours are often magnificent at the end of the season.