Cardinal crabapple
Malus 'Cardinal'
RHS AGM (current)
USDA zones5 to 8
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size10 to 15 feet tall15+ feet wide
- Habit
- Spreading / flat-topped
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Red
- Foliage color
- Bronze
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Cardinal' crabapple (Malus 'Cardinal') is a tree for specimen planting, pollinator gardens, and food gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Red flowers open from early to late spring and draw butterflies, bees, and birds. The leaves are bronze and turn color in fall. It spreads wide with a flat-topped shape, so give it room.
Pairs well with Virginia sweetspire, Greig's tulip, and Big bluestem.