Malus Royal  Raindrops - Crab Apple

Malus ‘Royal Raindrops’ (Malus ‘JFS‑KW5’) is an ornamental crabapple tree that combines many qualities. This tree displays deep purple, deeply cut foliage, very colourful throughout the growing season. It also has a massive spring flowering of brilliant magenta pink, followed by small red fruits and beautiful autumn colours. Vigorous, hardy and naturally disease-resistant, it adapts to many situations. With its elegant habit, it is perfect as a specimen plant to create a focal point or to line a wide path. 

Malus ‘Royal Raindrops’ is a cultivar whose full botanical name is Malus ‘JFS-KW5’. It was bred by Keith Warren of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. nursery (Oregon, USA) and introduced in 2003. It is a hybrid resulting from a controlled cross between Malus transitoria ‘Golden Raindrops’ (known for its finely cut foliage) and an unidentified purple-leaved crabapple. 

This small tree with an upright, erect, well-branched habit reaches around 6 m in height and 4 to 5 m in spread at 10 years old. Its growth rate is about 30 to 40 cm per year. Its very decorative,  deciduous foliage emerges dark purple at bud burst and partly retains this colour during summer. In autumn, it takes on shades of orange-red and coppery red. The deeply cut, 5 to 8 cm long leaves resemble those of maples. Flowering takes place in April-May when the tree becomes covered in single, slightly fragrant, deep magenta flowers with five petals measuring 2.5 to 3 cm across, pollinated by insects. This is followed in September-October by small and decorative, spherical, red, 6 mm diameter fruits which persist into winter. These fruits are not edible for humans but are loved by birds. The root system is shallow but well spread, typical of grafted crabapples. It is suitable for container planting, small spaces or urban avenues. This crabapple prefers well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 7) soil, and tolerates clay, loam or sandy soils well. It is very hardy (USDA zone 4, down to –34 °C) and it shows excellent resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases such as scab, rust, powdery mildew and fire blight.

Ornamental crabapple trees come from various botanical species of the genus Malus belonging to the Rosaceae family. Hardy, undemanding and easy to grow, flowering crabapples can be left alone once well established, yet remain generous in character. 

The flowering crabapple ‘Royal Raindrops’ has a presence that few small trees can match. It lends itself equally to planting as a specimen in a small garden, or to a more substantial display in an informal hedge or copse. It can be associated with scented lilacs, dark-leaved elders (Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’), large shrub roses like 'Rush' or winter viburnums, for example. In a larger garden, several plants placed at the edge of a path or on a slope create a mass effect and allow full enjoyment of the autumn palette.