Crabapple (Malus) 'Tina'

Well, after discussing my failures with Rosemary, I thought I should discuss something I have had lots of success with in my Midwest gardens. Crabapples! They are tough, flower in the spring in amazing colors, some even have red tinted leaves, they produce fruit which attracts wildlife, and they are small trees in general, good for smaller spots in the garden, while still adding some height. There are also many cultivars on the market that have very good form. Some of my favorites include 'Prairie Fire', 'Sargent', and 'Profusion Pink', but 'Tina' is by far a stand alone in this family. It is the smallest cultivar, growing just 4-5' tall and about 4' wide at maturity. Reason why this is such a valuable cultivar to know, it is small, like a Japanese Maple, but is much less expensive than a Japanese Maple. Most people love the tree form of the Japanese Maples and the fact that it fits right by their front door without shading out all their other plants. Well, the flowering crabapple 'Tina' can also fit by your front door and does not shade out your other plantings, and grows faster than the Jap. Maples. It flowers white in the spring and only produces small fruits that the birds easily eat (rather than them dropping and making a mess), and has excellent disease resistance.
I have also found that it has excellent form, which means less pruning to shape it, so less work in general to keep in small and beautiful.
For more just general information on flowering crabs, this particular website is very thorough and lists many other cultivars that are available, including some weeping forms. Weeping crabapples are also usually smaller and work well in small gardens or by your front door as a specimen plant.
Picture compliments of Iowa Arboretum's website for Malus sargentii 'Tina' which shows the size of the tree in relationship to a gazebo and the wonderful rounded form of the tree. Excellent photo and specimen and I highly recommend visiting the Iowa Arboretum in general. Great examples of many of my favorite plants.