Note 7: Malus floribunda - the best of spring blossom
The problem with committing plants to your ‘top ten desert island list’ is that within days or weeks, along comes a new contender ready to knock something off the list. Malus x floribunda, however, has to be one such plant on my list that is safely locked in, password protected, and unable to be removed under any circumstances.
In flower now the profusion of blossom on this Japanese crabapple is quite breathtaking, an amazing frothing ebullition of pink and white flowers and so dense is the flowering that few if any branches or foliage are visible. A 19th century import the tree has had plenty of time to demonstrate its reliability and hardiness so much so that it has been awarded an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
There is a closely related cousin called ‘Freja’. Of a similar growth habit, with a relatively rounded head, she has the same blossom but leaves of red to burgundy. I’m not so keen on the colour combination but maybe I’m in the minority as I see equal numbers of both as I drive around the Gloucestershire villages.
Descriptions from plant nurseries are varied and there appears to be some confusion over the ultimate size of these trees. Often classed as ‘small’ which undoubtably they are at some point in their lives, other listings suggest ultimate dimensions of 10m x 10m. That isn’t particularly small in my book and suggests it’s perhaps not one for the small cottage garden despite the ability of most Malus to take a hard prune.
Blossom spotting at this time of year is like shooting fish in a barrel. Most streets contain a crab, a cherry, or an apple and it’s a great opportunity to decide on additions to your own garden. One such tree is the cherry called Prunus ‘Ukon’ another holder of the prestigious RHS AGM. With blossoms of pale lemon to lime green it's a bit of a rarity. Until a week ago I’d only ever seen one, a mature tree, that just happened to be in the street around the corner. Within two days I spotted another in the garden of a new client, and a third juvenile in an area of parkland.
Another attention seeker at this time of year is the cherry tree called ‘Kanzan’. Sometimes found under the old name of ‘Sekiyama’ this over-the-top ‘meringue’ of pink, double-flowered blossom is a favourite tree in the front gardens of suburbia. Widely planted in new builds of the early 20th century it was loathed by Vita Sackville-West who associated it with the new lower middle classes but loved by garden writer Christopher Lloyd, although his passion for it wore off later in life.
