Malus Sugar Tyme - Crab Apple

Malus Sugar Tyme is an attractive ornamental crab apple tree. In spring, it is covered with pink buds that open into beautiful single flowers of pure white, with a fragrance. Its young shoots are tender green and at maturity, the leaves take on a darker green hue. In autumn, this Apple tree reveals its second asset in the form of beautiful red fruit, resembling cherries, which persist into winter. It forms a small tree with a fairly spreading habit, well-suited to small gardens. It can be planted individually or in groups.

Ornamental Apple trees are derived from various botanical species of the genus Malus belonging to the Rosaceae family, which also includes fruit-bearing apple trees, as well as most of our fruit trees (Pear trees, Peach trees, Plum trees...). Hardy, adaptable and easy to grow, flowering apple trees, are content with ordinary soil, but prefer fertile, deep, loose and moist soil. Once established, they can be completely forgotten about and will maintain their generous nature. Numerous cultivars have been developed in Europe, as well as in the United States, which are always more attractive and resistant to diseases.

The 'Sugar Tyme' apple tree is an American variety from 1988, introduced to the market by Lake County Nursery, and highly appreciated in the country for its abundant flowering and decorative fruits. It is a small tree with a fairly spreading habit, reaching a maximum height of 5 to 6 m, with a spread of 3 to 4 m. Its young leaves, which appear just before flowering, are tender green and then darken. In April-May, depending on the region, salmon-pink flower buds appear, opening into single flowers, approximately 3.5 cm (1in) in diameter, with 5 petals of pure white, and protruding stamens with yellow tips. These are fragrant and attractive to bees and other pollinators.  This particularly abundant flowering covers the entire tree, creating a magnificent spectacle in spring, which is only matched by its autumn fruits. In October, this apple tree bears numerous small spherical fruits, beautiful red in colour, with a size, 12 to 13 mm (1in) in diameter, resembling cherries. These decorative fruits last until winter, creating an interesting scene during this season.
'Sugar Tyme' proves to be highly resistant to diseases, particularly fire blight, with a slight susceptibility to scab. Hardy, it can withstand temperatures down to at least -25°C.

The 'Sugar Tyme' Apple tree is an excellent choice for enhancing a small garden, where it can be planted as a specimen on a lawn or integrated into a border, becoming the centerpiece. Its natural appearance works well with the planting of other similar plants, and even botanical species. Euonymus planipes, a medium-sized shrubby spindle tree with magnificent autumn colours and decorative fruits, is perfect for this role. Another good companion in a natural style is the Amelanchier lamarckii, attractive for three-quarters of the year, with its exuberant white flowers in April, foliage that changes from bronze to green and finally to scarlet red in autumn, and its decorative and edible purple fruits, that make delicious jams. Rosa moyesii Geranium, a botanical rose with beautiful single cherry-red flowers and highly decorative orange fruits in autumn, completes this countryside display.