Flowering Crabapples at the Arboretum

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum has a large and beautiful collection of flowering crabapples. I have never counted the trees but it seems they must have over 100 different cultivars. So many different colors and shapes! I have been there many times and still never managed to see them all. This May visit is like a pilgrimage - as close as we northerners can get to the flowering cherries of Japan. It is not May now - lots of cold, dreary February days to get through still. I will attempt to cheer myself up with some May flowers in this post...

Crabapple 'Indian Magic'

'Indian Magic' is one of my favorites for rich color, and it has a very attractive, spreading shape as you can see below. It is a smaller tree.

Crabapple 'Indian Magic'

Crabapple 'White Candle'

'White Candle' is very tall and stiff. Almost shrub-like (but large). A bit awkward perhaps, but interesting. Those large white flowers and pink buds make it look like it has been dipped in fondant.

Crabapple 'White Candle'

Crabapple 'Van Eseltine'

 'Van Eseltine' has double pink flowers which are stunning up close. The habit is upright and a bit awkward so far. The tree appears to be quite young (it is an area where they have newer plantings), so maybe it will improve its carriage when it matures. I'll keep my eye on it!

Crabapple 'Van Eseltine'

Crabapple 'White Angel'

 'White Angel' is a glorious sight in bloom. The white flowers with pale yellow centers complement the fresh green of the foliage perfectly (to the extent that you can actually see any foliage with all those flowers). The buds are essentially white (just barely tinged with pink), so the overall density of whiteness is not diluted at all from a distance.

Crabapple 'White Angel'

Crabapple 'Rousseau'

I especially love the darker pink/red cultivars. 'Rousseau' is one of my favorites. The reddish buds look like fruits hanging among the olive-green leaves. This is a rather large tree with an elegant, spreading habit. It has a real "presence" in the garden.

Crabapple 'Rousseau'

Crabapple 'Louisa'

'Louisa' is another one of my favorites. I make sure to visit her every year :-) The habit is weeping and full. The flowers are smaller than average, but make up for that with their abundance. The color is hard to describe and to capture on camera. It appears more pink in reality, but a very soft, grayish pink with pearly undertones. The tree seems to glow with a kind of inner softness. I put this one last because I always end my "pilgrimage" with a rest in front of 'Louisa'.

Crabapple 'Louisa'

I had originally planned to plant a crabapple in my own garden, but I decided to try a quince in that spot instead. The yard already has a mature lilac, an amelanchier, and a Canadian redbud (cercis canadensis), plus some large maples. Sunny spots are at a premium, and I want to plant some culinary apples, cherry, quince, and apricot. Flowering crabs are very common street trees here, so I suppose I'll just have to enjoy them in other people's yards!