Wednesday, 7:45 AM. 43 degrees, wind ENE, calm at present. The channel is bumpy. The barometer is down, predicting rain. The sky is overcast.It is a dark day, but brightened by many blooming plants. The flowering crabapple trees are blooming profusely here now. One of my favorites is the smallish, spreading, white flowered Sergent’s crabapple. Another great crabapple is the pink crabapple in the Carlson’s yard to our east, it is probably a ‘Dolgo’ but I am not sure. The crabapples, of the same genus as edible apples, Malus, is extremely variable, with great genetic plasticity, and there has been hybridization of these ornamentals for hundreds of years. There are a few North American species, and many European and Asian species, all interbred so that the origin of most trees can be considered truly horticultural. One of the best places in Wisconsin to see flowering crabapples is Whitnall Park in Milwaukee County, they usually are at their peak there in mid-May. When selecting crabapples, check on their resistance to pests and diseases, particularly to fire-blight and apple scab. There is no longer any reason to grow problem prone crabapples, there are many resistant varieties now available.
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