In every city there is a park with many decorative trees and shrubs. And among them there are many different apple trees. It's easy to notice them - they bloom so that you can't even see the leaves. It seems that these are white, pink and red clouds descending on the park. And the aroma is such that you don't want to leave. The only pity is that this beauty can not be admired for long. Ornamental apple trees bloom for just two weeks. Then these trees provide a pleasant shade in the hot summer months, and in the fall, some varieties of apple trees also begin to change the color of the leaves. And the park again pleases the eye with an abundance of colors. A little more time will pass and the fruits will hang in red beads on the branches, for a very long time, attracting birds almost all winter.
general information
The family of ornamental apple trees includes about 50 varieties. The trees are generally not very tall, rarely reaching 10 m in height. The crown is spreading in the form of an irregular ball or umbrella-shaped.
The bark on the trunk is dark gray in color. The leaves of apple trees are elongated, spiky, the length is within 8-10 cm. The color of the foliage can vary from olive to dark green and even red, depending on the variety and season.
Decorative apple tree
They bloom in white, pink or red flowers, collected in inflorescences of 5-7 pieces like an umbrella. Fruits from 5 mm to 5 cm in diameter.
Almost all apple trees of this genus are unpretentious in care. They tolerate drought, dust and gas pollution well. All have increased winter hardiness.
In nature, there are many varieties of ornamental apple trees: the dark red apple-tree Kitayka, Nedzvetskiy, Ranetka, Domashnyaya, Manzhurskaya, Slivolistnaya and others. Some of them will be discussed in more detail.
Description of species
Apple tree Makamik
Apple tree Makamik
The tree of this variety grows to a height of 5 m. The crown is in the form of a ball, about 5 m in diameter. Oval-shaped leaves have a purple hue when blooming, in summer they change to dark green, and in autumn to orange. The buds are dark red, blossoming, become purple-pink. The diameter of the flower is 4-5 cm. The apples grow up to 2.5 cm.
This decorative apple tree is very light-requiring. Frost resistance and resistance to apple diseases are very high.
Weeping Apple Tree
This species migrated to us from the North American continent, where it grows almost everywhere. If you take good care of it, it can grow up to 12 meters. The branches are long and flexible. They lean towards the ground under the weight of leaves and fruits. Therefore, she was nicknamed Plakuchay. The leaves change several times a year, at first they are red, in summer they turn green and by autumn they again turn into crimson tones, and bloom pink with a very pleasant aroma. Fruits are elongated in ruby color.
Umbrella red-petalled
A tree that resembles an umbrella. Shoots move away from the trunk in arcs, and then tilt down. The leaves are reddish in the first half of summer, and greener in the second. This apple tree blooms with crimson flowers a little later than garden flowers, which prolongs the decorativeness of the garden. Pea-sized fruits, bright burgundy color.
Japanese apple tree
A gorgeous apple tree - profusely blooming, dazzling in its flowering. There are a lot of flowers, while they have a carmine color in buds, after they bloom, they become pinkish. Flowers diameter 3 cm, collected in knots of 5-8 pieces. The apples are small, no more than 2 cm in diameter, yellow-red. Height is no more than 4 meters. Grows in the form of a shrub with spreading, sometimes thorny branches.
Japanese apple tree
Prairie fire
Very original look. The crown is in the form of a tent up to five meters in diameter. The leaves, while young, have a purple color, which gradually changes to green. Flowers of an unusual, but very beautiful dark red-purple color. All together it looks incredibly beautiful. Fruits of ruby color grow up to 5 cm. They do not fall off all winter. And they are a good support for birds. This decorative variety is very resistant to diseases.
Apple tree with red flowers Red Baron
No wonder this variety is called Red Baron, it fully justifies its name. A three-meter tree with a spreading crown, everything is showered with bright red flowers, which are collected in bunches. The leaves are green with a copper-bronze tint.
Apple tree Sargent
This shrub, which reaches a height of 3 meters, is perfect for a hedge. Branches are horizontally extended, with thorns. Three-lobed leaves, the length of which is 5-8 cm, have a green tint, closer to autumn they change it to orange-yellow. Flowers are white. The apples are red, small, about 10 mm in diameter.
Apple tree Sargent
Apple tree Tsumi
This tree comes from Japan. It grows to a maximum of 4 meters, its rounded crown is about the same diameter. The branches are completely covered with beautiful carmine buds. In blossoming flowers, it changes to pale pink. The fruits are red-yellow in color, as in many ornamental species, no more than 1 cm.
An apple tree with pink flowers of the Tsumi variety is one of the few decorative ones that is slightly afraid of frost. But even if it freezes, it quickly recovers.
Apple tree Carmen
Another purple-leaved beauty. It blooms with bright pink flowers. Sweet and sour fruits weighing up to 60 g. Perfect for processing into compotes and jams. It is unpretentious in leaving, frost-resistant. She doesn't care about drought either.
Apple tree Carmen
Apple-tree Purple (Royalty)
This damsel has everything purple. Young leaves of red color during growth change their color to green with a red tint. The flowers are blood red, the fruits are purple. The height of a tree or shrub reaches 4-6 m. A young tree has a compact crown, but it grows over the years.
Scheidecker
Thanks to the over-pollination of the varieties Slivolistnaya and Obilnosvetuschaya, a small apple tree with a broadly oval crown was obtained. The length of the leaves is about 10 cm. Large (diameter 3.5 cm) semi-double bright pink flowers stick around all branches. This is one of the most beautiful apple trees. The fruit is bright yellow, which looks good against the background of green leaves. Shadekker belongs to the weeping species.
Crimson necklace
This is a columnar decorative apple tree. It is beautiful both during flowering and during the ripening of apples. It blooms in reddish-purple color. Flowers are wrapped around the trunk of a tree with a dense wreath, which has no branches at all, but there are no exposures either. And when the fruits are ripe, they are like a ruby necklace wrapped around an elegant tree trunk.
Crimson necklace
Planting decorative apple trees
The method of planting these trees is practically the same as planting any fruit trees. They can be planted in early spring and early autumn. It is unpleasant that an adult tree needs a lot of free space. It is necessary to take into account the size of the crown of an adult plant and do not plant tall trees and shrubs at this distance.
For planting, you need to dig a planting hole about a month before the planned planting, fill it with fertile soil with the addition of fertilizers and humus. After a month, you need to dig out the prepared soil again, leaving a small hill in the hole, plant a seedling, straightening the roots. The root collar should be 5-10 cm above ground level.
Reproduction
It is noteworthy that decorative apple trees are easily propagated by seeds. To grow a seedling in this way, the seeds must be thoroughly washed, then soaked for three days in water, which must be changed daily. Any growth stimulant can be added to the latter water. Then the seeds are stratified for 2 months - placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. After all procedures, the seeds are planted in special boxes, or on a garden bed at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
Sowing with seeds
You can act differently. The seed is washed in the fall and planted immediately in the ground. During the winter, it will pass the entire hardening period and in the spring the strongest seeds will sprout. The gardener will be able to choose the strongest from several. Or, if necessary, leave all the seedlings.
Cutting decorative varieties is not the most productive, but an acceptable method. In most of these apple trees, the survival rate does not exceed 5-15%, even when treated with growth stimulants. Therefore, experienced gardeners prefer the first breeding method, sowing seeds towards the end of autumn.
Care
Maintenance of these trees is minimal. They do not require the same pruning as their garden cousins. It is imperative to remove only dry or damaged branches. It is also advisable to thin out the crown a little.
Pruning is the main resuscitation measure for a tree
Watering is required only after planting during the rooting period of the tree. Later, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is desirable before flowering.
Thus, the care of a decorative apple tree is minimal, but you can admire its beauty all year round. Whatever variety of this decorative culture is planted, it will not leave its owner indifferent.
