For a unique landscape touch, consider the Sargent Crabapple (Malus sargentii). This medium-sized shrub boasts fragrant spring and fall colors that linger into early winter, plus it's a wildlife favorite. With a low, spreading form, it serves as a great screen, natural hedge, or bonsai option, ideal for tight spaces, utility lines, or sloped terrain.
Sargent Crabapple is a compact tree, reaching about 6 feet (1.8 m) in height but spreading wider if allowed. It's an eye-catching addition to gardens or courtyards, with dark, disease-free leaves and small white flowers in May, its maiden identification feature. This tree alternates heavy blooming every other year, can be grown in various forms, and yields tiny red fruit clusters that birds adore in spring.
