Mary Potter Crabapple – Malus ‘Mary Potter’

Red buds open to blindingly white flowers. USDA zones 4 through 7

Malus ‘Mary Potter’, a cross between M. sargentii ‘Rosea’ and M. atrosanguinea, was introduced by Dr. Sax in 1947 in honor of Mary Sargent Potter, daughter of the Arboretum’s first director, Charles S. Sargent. In May its bright pink buds open to display clear white flowers. In full bloom, trees look completely snow-covered. But perhaps the tree’s best feature is its form, which is unusually low-branching and spreading.

Introduced by The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Mary Potter crabapple can be a ground-hugging, spreading form as witnessed by the three specimens pictured above. In my experience with crabs at the Morton, Mary Potter is one of the most spectacular bloomers, with profuse red-pink buds exploding to blinding-white blossoms in just a matter of hours it seems.