Malus toringo - Crab Apple

The ornamental apple tree Malus toringo, also known as Malus sieboldii, forms an oval to rounded crown, which gracefully expands with age. It is distinguished from other flowering apple trees by its leaves cut into narrow lobes, which colour beautifully in autumn. In spring, it is adorned with an abundant and fragrant flowering. It is pale-pink when it blooms, becoming pure white. The flowers are followed by very small orange crab apples with red highlights, which persist on the branches for a long time. This small tree is resistant to diseases and insects, and its moderate growth is perfect for small gardens.

Ornamental apple trees come from various genus species belonging to the Rosaceae family. Hardy, accommodating, and easy to grow, flowering apple trees are content with ordinary soil but prefer deep, loose, and moist soil, as well as sunny exposures. Once established, they withstand neglect while maintaining their generous nature. This resistant and graceful tree deserves to be planted more in our gardens.

Malus toringo is native to China, Korea, and Japan. A tall bush or small tree, it has a generally rounded to oval habit. Over time, the branches become slightly trailing, giving this apple tree a dense and flexible silhouette. It can grow as wide as it is tall. At maturity, it reaches an average height of 4.5m (15ft) with a spread of 3.5m (11ft). It maintains a balanced shape without the need for pruning, and develops flexible wood covered with a smooth grey-brown bark.

Flowering occurs in late April or early May, in the form of numerous buds of a slightly faded purple. They open into single flowers, 3.5 to 4cm (1 to 2in) in diameter. They are initially pale-pink before quickly turning white. These flowers, gathered in small clusters, open at the same time as the young leaves. The flowering is followed by the formation of numerous small crab apples that resemble cherries, measuring 1 to 1.2cm (1in) in diameter. At maturity in late summer, they are bright orange washed with red. These fruits, loved by birds, remain on the bush until December. The deciduous foliage is unusual for this species: it consists of leaves cut into 3 narrow, alternate, and toothed lobes, which are green with grey reflections until summer, turning yellow-orange before falling. Note that this variety, slightly susceptible to scab, is quite resistant to apple tree diseases. 

Like many flowering apple trees, it is a good pollinator for early-flowering fruit trees. This small tree has more presence than a flowering cherry tree. Its abundant flowering may be less long-lasting than that of the latter, but this detail is compensated for by its fragrance, the beauty of its foliage from spring to autumn, the beauty of its fruits, and its elegant habit. It will find its place in a medium to small-sized garden, in an informal hedge, for example, accompanying large shrub or climbing roses trained as bushes, evergreen Viburnums, or lilacs. When space allows, ornamental apple trees, planted in a large hedge on a slope bordering a sunken path, create a rather magical scene not only in spring but also in autumn, thanks to their often sumptuous colours at the end of the season.