Bob White Crabapple – Malus ‘Bob White’
Bob White Crabapple, from a planting, is 25 years old
I was about 2 days early in catching the explosion of buds into blossoms. Maybe next time. Bob White crab grows to 20 feet with a rounded crown and slightly larger spread. Red buds open to white flowers with yellow fruit-bearing in alternate years. It has good resistance apple-scab and powdery mildew, and excellent resistance to rust, but is susceptible to fire blight.
Crabapples grow best in full sun and like well-drained, slightly acidic soils (pH 5.5-6.5); however, they will grow well in many soil types. Most crabapple selections tolerate the cold winters and hot, dry summers prevalent in the Midwest. For many years, crabapple cultivars have been selected on the basis of their flowers, but with some cultivars undesirable features, such as disease problems and fruit drop outweigh their short-lived spring beauty.
