narragansett crabapple

hi everyone,

p allen smith had a program on the weather channel recently about a great little tree called the narragansett crabapple. i went to his website to find out where to purchase one with no luck. i have not been able to locate any on the net. online nurseries that i have seen have many, many varieties but not that one. curious as to why no one has this one. maybe they are not as great as they sound?

does anyone have one of these? where can you get them?

the show i watched made them sound wonderful. any info on these little gems would be appreciated.

thanks,
Tia

noticed that twombly nursery carries them- i have found that crabapples have waves of popularity, maybe 2 years from now everyone will have them! good luck

thanks for the info, i would really like to add this one in my yard. i will check out twombly online.

thanks again for the help!

Tia

Most crabapples litter the ground with fruit. I had a Sargent's crab (Malus sargentii) which I liked. It is small and the very red berries stay well into the winter then the cardinals eat them for a very red picture.

uuallace,

it is strange that i have not been able to locate this narragansett variety. you know what they say, if it is too good to be true, it probably is.

i appreciate the info on the sargent. maybe i should pick one of those up, i have seen them around. i have a smaller garden area so i would like to plant a smaller type tree and i like the idea of having those berries in the winter.

would you recommend any other crabs or any other small trees?

thanks,

Tia

I don't know Narragansett. Sargent is OK, but everyone has it. There are soooo many less common wonderful small trees that can thrive in your climate. Don't jump into bed with crabs (no pun intended, maybe!) until you check out what else is available. Look for more unusual trees, species with a different season of interest, trees that aren't so messy if that's a concern, and maybe something not so prone to diseases. (Some crabs are relatively resistant, but most are fungus candy, some get bacterial fireblight, and borers are always a concern in warm climates.)

Check out some specialty nurseries, like Woodlanders right there in your own state (Aiken), and go online to look at ArborVillage, ForestFarm, etc. Finally, go visit your local GOOD retail nursery right now (not the discount stores) to see what they might have on sale to move out before winter.

Guy S.

thanks Guy for all your great suggestions....i had not heard of Woodlanders but am glad to know there is someplace around me. i have been checking out Arbor Village and ForestFarm per your advice and now my only problem is sooooooo many choices!!!
that is a good problem to have :-)

thanks again!

When I moved to this house there was a young crab at the edge of the yard.
It turned out to be a Bobwhite crab.
Tons of white flowers in spring, and small 'pea' size, yellow fruit that the birds enjoy in winter.
It is now at least 25 years old and no more than 12 ft tall and 15 wide.
Very fragrant, too.
Andy P

Stewartia Pseudocamelia is a wonderful multiseason small tree.
I'm not sure about its hardiness range - definitely OK in zone 6
but not sure what your zone is.

Another neat little tree is Franklinia alatamaha - it was discovered
by John Bartram in the 1700's and never found in the wild again.
It was named for Ben Franklin. So the history is fun too. (Again,
check hardiness for your zone.)

Tam

I think you should do more research on the Naragansett Crabapple. It may just be perfect for you. I understand the health and litter concerns, but if you like it, find out all you can. It seems to be a more disease resistant variety. A lot of Crabs have fruits that are eaten before falling, and some fruits shrivel away, or the fruit is insignificant. Find out it's parentage if you can. Look on different websites over time as well (some info is different from site to site). I think the University ag sites and the more scientific sites are the most helpful and reliable, since they are not trying to sell anything. Check your Ag Extension. Maybe P. Allen Smith has a contact e-mail.

http://agebb.missouri.edu/pdc/diagnosticreports/resistant01.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45034-2004Sep23.html

http://www.shadyvalleynursery.com/m.htm

thanks ivy1 for the links.

everyone on this thread had given me so much to think about. i had wanted to purchase a tree and plant it in the fall but now i am going to "think about it" over the winter and shoot for the spring.

i was happy to see the shadow valley nursery had the naragansett listed in their inventory. what a pricey little tree!!! but then again, what's forty or fifty bucks if it gives you a lifetime of happiness?? that being said, i have more reading and searching to do in the coming months so i can be ready to put my plan into action.

now, i just need to figure out how to locate a local extension office. i am near clemson university, i am guessing it is there somewhere.

thanks again!



This message was edited Nov 16, 2005 5:54 PM

Have you considered a serviceberry tree ?