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The Spring Snow Crabapple Tree

The spring snow crabapple tree is a deciduous, fruitless variety that produces brilliant white flowers.

This ornamental tree is favored by crabapple tree lovers who don’t want to worry about any messy fruits falling onto their lawns or driveways.

Keep reading to learn all you need to know about the spring snow crabapple tree, including how to plant it and how to maintain and care for it.

Looking to buy a spring snow crabapple tree? Check availability.

Closeup of white springtime blossoms on a crabapple tree.

History of the Spring Snow Crabapple Tree

The spring snow crabapple tree gets its name from its fragrant, stark-white flowers covering the tree during spring.

While different varieties of crabapple trees have existed in Asia, North America, and Europe for centuries, this variety of crabapple trees was discovered in 1963 in Parkside, Saskatchewan.


Characteristics

Closeup of a branch of white crabapple blossoms.

Appearance

This tree produces beautiful, fragrant white flowers in the spring, which give way to shiny green leaves in the summer.

In autumn, the foliage of the fruitless tree turns a gorgeous harvest yellow that blends with the colors of other trees during the season. Try planting different species of flowering crabapple trees beside your spring snow crabapple tree for a colorful variety of blooms.

In the winter, the spring snow crabapple tree enhances holiday decor, such as outdoor Christmas decorations, with its snow-laden branches and dark bark.

This tree grows up to twenty feet tall and twenty-five feet wide, so it’s a larger species of crabapple tree. It doesn’t produce fruit, so you won’t have rotten fruit attracting pests with this tree.


Ways to Use

A view of several white flowering crabapple trees planted near one another.

This species of crabapple tree is generally used for landscaping since it doesn’t produce fruit.

Landscaping

Many landscapers use the spring snow crabapple tree as a focal point in a home garden or as a specimen plant.

These bright white trees can be planted near driveways, roadways, sidewalks, or patios because they are fruitless and have no mess to clean up. They can be placed near commercial buildings or on large properties.

A common use for the spring snow crabapple tree is to plant multiple trees along a property line to act as a privacy fence. The canopy of these trees grows to form a solid privacy fence when planted around ten feet apart.

These trees are ideal for creating a row of street trees along the edge of a street or a sidewalk.


Growing Your Own

Branches of a crabapple tree covered with white blossoms.

The spring snow crabapple tree is a fruitless ornamental species that is easy to plant and maintain. These trees do well in drought conditions and cold climates.

This hardy variety is known for being more resistant to disease than other species of crabapple trees.

These trees grow to around twenty feet tall and twenty-five feet wide.

Growing your own spring snow crabapple tree can be a rewarding experience, especially once it begins to flower and you get to enjoy the gorgeous white blooms against the tree’s dark bark.

They’re even more breathtaking in the winter when the branches are laden with snow!

How to Plant

Planting a crabapple tree is a fairly easy process. Spring snow crabapple trees should be planted in spring or early fall.

First, you will need to locate the ideal spot for your tree. Just be sure to give the tree adequate space to establish its roots.

Make sure your planting site has well-draining soil and plenty of full sunlight each day. Spring snow crabapple trees require around seven hours of sunlight each day to thrive.

To get started at your chosen site, dig a hole as deep as the rootball on the tree and about three times as wide. Remove all the soil from the hole before amending it with compost or peat moss to enrich the soil and loosen the dirt to allow the roots to spread more easily.

Remove your crabapple tree from its container gently and set the plant into the hole. Return the amended soil to the hole and pack it firmly around the rootball. Add soil until it reaches the base of the plant.

New trees will need to be watered regularly, every week, during the first year or two. It’s best to soak several inches of the soil every few days rather than providing a little bit of water per day.

After establishing your spring snow crabapple tree, it will most likely not need to be watered. If you live in an area that experiences frequent drought, your tree may benefit from occasional watering.

Before deciding to water it, check the soil. If the first couple of inches is dry, then it’s time to water your tree.

Fertilizing

Crabapple trees generally don’t need to be fertilized, but they sometimes show signs of low nutrients and would benefit from feeding. It is best to always test the soil before providing fertilizer. Otherwise, it may damage your tree.

Many products on the market work well for fertilizing a crabapple tree, but a 10-10-10 mixture gets the job done the best!

Pruning

Pruning a spring snow crabapple tree should only be done to remove damaged or dead branches or train the tree’s lower branches. Prune during the winter when the tree is dormant—pruning while in the middle of a cycle will only stunt its growth.

Pests and Disease

Closeup of a nest of tent caterpillars.
Tent caterpillars, a common crabapple tree pest.

Spring snow crabapple trees are more disease resistant than many varieties, which may be because there’s no fruit.

However, this species is susceptible to apple scab, a fungal disease that appears in brown/black patches. It is caused by moisture that allows the fungus to thrive. This disease can be treated by using a neem oil fungicide annually.

Fireblight is another disease that commonly attacks crabapple trees. This disease causes the leaves of a crabapple tree to appear burned, and the bark to produce lesions. Treating this disease is a bit tricky; removing infected parts of the tree is the only way to cure the tree.

Other common diseases that ail crabapple trees are cedar apple rust, scab, leaf spot, and powdery mildew. These can generally be treated with fungicides.

Aphids, spider mites, tent caterpillars, borers, and Japanese beetles are common pests that attack the crabapple tree. To get rid of these pests, try using a fruit tree pesticide. Just know that using a pesticide will also deter natural predators that protect your tree.

Beetles and caterpillars can easily be picked or sprayed off the tree rather than using a pesticide to control them.


Where to Buy a Tree

Closeup of white crabapple flowers.
SARGENT CRABAPPLE – MALUS SARGENTI

Are you ready to start growing your own crabapple tree in your garden or yard? We’ve got you!

Get your spring snow crabapple tree at one of our favorite garden retailers, Nature Hills Nursery!


Wrapping Up the Spring Snow Crabapple

Closeup of spring snow crabapple blossoms.

If you love crabapple trees but not the messy fruit they leave behind, then the spring snow crabapple tree is perfect for you. It’s a breeze to plant and maintain and requires little-to-no aftercare once established. Best of all — it’s a delight for the eyes and nose!

Do you want to learn more about crabapple trees, including different varieties, and how to plant and use them? Then check out our Crabapple Trees page on the website to find our other crabapple blog posts.