Ornamental apple trees: types, growing characteristics, placement in the country. Decorative apple trees Apple tree with burgundy leaves and pink flowers

There are about 50 species and more than 190 cultivated varieties of ornamental apple trees.

Ornamental apple trees are unpretentious to their growing conditions. Planting a decorative apple tree with red leaves is considered especially chic. This plant allows you to form bright accents and decorate even the shady corners of the garden.

In cultivation it is a low tree, which rarely reaches 10 meters at the top of its crown. Ornamental apple trees can also be shrubby forms of the crop. In the absence of pruning, the crown is formed in the form of an irregular oval or ball.

Some varieties can bear fruit successfully, but the fruits do not have pleasant organoleptic properties.

The color of the bark of the stem part can vary from pastel gray to rich brown. Special attention When choosing a variety of ornamental apple tree, the shape and color of the leaf blade deserves consideration. Some species are presented with a red color and a long period of leaves not falling off. autumn period. This allows you to create magnificent landscapes even with a meager composition soil mixture and adverse weather conditions.

Most varieties of ornamental apple trees have dense foliage of a rich green color, which transforms into a yellow and red riot of colors only in late August - early September. The average length of an ellipsoid or plum-shaped leaf is 100 mm.

During the flowering period, the entire crown is densely covered with fragrant flowers, which can reach a diameter of 40 mm. The main color is white, which can have various shades pink, peach, ivory etc. Single flowers are collected into bouquets of inflorescences using stalks.

Fruit formation begins immediately after flowering. In the center of each flower there is a receptacle, which gradually grows and fills with pulp. The outer color of the fruit is first green, then, as it ripens, it changes to yellow and red.

These trees have fantastic resistance to unfavorable factors external environment. This is a frost-resistant crop that grows successfully even in the northern regions of our country.

Planting ornamental apple trees

It is best to plant such apple trees in the spring, before the first buds appear, or in the fall, in September and the first half of October. Young seedlings up to 4 years old can be planted in both spring and autumn, but older ones, which do not adapt well to a new place, can only be planted in autumn.

Particular attention should be paid to the distance to neighboring plants. For ornamental apple trees, it is necessary to provide a lot of free space; they should not grow in close proximity to large plants. For each plant, you need to leave as much space as its crown will spread in adulthood: the diameter of a tree of a particular variety should be the main guideline. Classic version- area about 5-6 m (respectively, a distance of 2-3 m to neighboring crops).

For ornamental apple trees, you need to dig large planting holes in advance, preferably in the fall of the previous year or at least 1 month before planting. The diameter of the planting hole is about 80 cm and the depth is about 1 m - ideal. The soil removed from the holes must be replaced with a special substrate. TO leaf ground mix in a two-fold portion of sand and a three-fold portion of humus. If possible, 250-300 g of complete mineral fertilizer. Without pre-planting improvement, apple trees will take a long time to take root and will take a lot of time to achieve the desired size. The planting depth is similar to all apple trees: the root collar should be 5-10 cm above the ground level.

Caring for ornamental apple trees and pest control

Apple trees need fertile, well-drained soil. The planting site should be located in the sun; heavily shaded areas are not suitable for these trees. Moderate watering is required; water stagnation should not be allowed. It is recommended to mulch decorative apple trees. Peat, sawdust, conifer bark, and nut shells are suitable for this.

In the spring, it is necessary to carry out disease prevention and spray the trees with insecticides.

If you do not plan to eat the fruits of ornamental apple trees, you can destroy pests during flowering and fruiting. However, it is still not recommended to do this if there may be children on the site, who are often attracted by delicious small apples. The fruits also serve as food for birds, which may be harmed by the toxins. Therefore, in order to avoid poisoning by toxic substances, pest control of ornamental apple trees with chemicals is carried out before the beginning of the growing season.

Decorative apple trees, like fruit trees, are most susceptible to scab, powdery mildew, and bacteria that cause a disease known as blight. If a burn occurs, the tree must be destroyed, as it dangerous disease quickly and actively spreads throughout the garden.

Propagation of ornamental apple trees

Ornamental types of apple trees can be propagated by seeds. They are sown immediately after harvest in early autumn or after stratification for 1.5-2 months at the end of autumn.

Only rare species and varietal apple trees with improved characteristics that are not transmitted by seed are propagated exclusively by grafting.

Cuttings are not the most productive, but acceptable method. For most apple trees, the survival rate does not exceed 5-15%, even when treated with growth stimulants.

Varieties of ornamental apple trees

Ornamental floribunda apple tree (Malus floribunda)

Luxurious Japanese apple tree - apple tree (Malus floribunda). Suitable for small dachas, because it is up to 4 m high. It is often a shrub with outstretched, sometimes prickly branches and ovoid dark green leaves, 4-8 cm long. The flowers are very abundant, carmine-red in buds, pale pink after blooming, 2.5- in diameter 3.0 cm, in bunches of 4-7 on purple pedicels; bloom in May. The fruits are spherical, small, 1-2 cm in diameter, reddish-yellow; ripen in September. One of the most decorative apple trees.

Ornamental Pallas apple tree (Malus pallasiana)

The snow-white beauty is the Pallas apple tree, or Siberian apple tree (Malus pallasiana) - a tree up to 3-5 m high or a shrub with a rounded crown. The leaves are ovate, 2.5-8 cm long. The flowers are white on long pedicels, 2-3.5 cm in diameter, 4-8 in umbellate inflorescences; bloom in May-June. The fruits are spherical, yellow with a red tint, up to 1 cm in diameter; ripen in September. Homeland: Eastern Siberia, Far East, Northern China, Mongolia.

Sargent's decorative apple tree(Malus sargentii)

A modest Japanese beauty, the Sargent apple tree (Malus sargentii) is a shrub 1 to 3 m high with horizontally spread branches, often with thorns. The leaves are ovate, often three-lobed, 5-8 cm long, dark green, orange and yellow in autumn. The flowers are white, on bare stalks, 5-6 in bunches; bloom in May. The fruits are almost spherical, about 1 cm in diameter, dark red with a waxy coating; ripen in September. Decorative during flowering and fruiting.

Decorative plum-leaved or Chinese apple tree (Malus prunifolia)

This is a tree or shrub up to 10 m high with pubescent young shoots. The leaves are ovate, 5-10 cm long, dark green, slightly shiny, yellow or bronze in autumn. The flowers are large, 3 cm in diameter, white, 5-10 in umbellate inflorescences; bloom in May. The fruits are spherical, up to 2-3 cm in diameter on long stalks, yellow or red, sour, edible apples (paradise); They ripen in September and do not fall off for a long time. Decorative during flowering and fruiting. Resistant to fungal diseases. Homeland: Northeast China.

Decorative apple tree Tsumi (Malus x zumi)

Apple tree Tsumi ( Malus X zumi) - possibly a hybrid of the Manchurian variety of berry apple and Siebold. small tree with a dense, spherical crown up to 6 (12) m high. The leaves are oblong-ovate on long shoots, noticeably lobed, 4-9 cm long. The flowers are numerous, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, pink in buds, open white; bloom in May-June. The fruits are spherical, red, about 1 cm in diameter; ripen in September. Decorative during flowering and fruiting.

Ornamental Scheidecker apple tree (Malus Scheideckeri)

Scheidecker apple tree (Malus Scheideckeri) is a low tree up to 3.5 m high, with a dark brown trunk and fissured bark. The branches are light brown with an orange tint and light lenticels. The leaves are oval, sharp-toothed, dark green. The flowers are pale pink, semi-double, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, dark pink in buds. The fruits are round or elongated-ovoid, bright yellow. Its decorative form "Red Jade" (red fruits) is interesting.

Ornamental apple tree Weeping or riverside

It was introduced into selection in an almost unchanged, wild form. In nature, it is found almost everywhere on the North American continent. With proper care, it grows up to 12 meters in height and has long flexible branches, which bend towards the ground during the growth of leaf mass and ripening of fruits. That is why this decorative apple tree received the name "Weeping". It will grow well in all regions of our country, since it is not afraid of even severe frosts due to the dense layer of bark.

Ornamental apple tree Ola (Malus hybridus Ola)

The low ornamental apple tree of the Ola variety was bred in Poland. It prefers moist to moderately moist soils. Blooms profusely in sunny places, tolerates partial shade. Due to the fact that the plant does not grow higher than 5 meters, it is used for decorative landscaping in gardens and residential areas. The unusually elegant, openwork crown of the tree in spring is covered with a cap of large pink flowers and exudes a wonderful aroma.

Decorative apple tree of Makovetsky district

A tree or bush with a smooth, spherical crown up to 2 m in diameter and burgundy-colored branches. The leaves are red when blooming and gradually acquire a dark green color with a burgundy tint. Blooms in July with large bright red flowers. The fruits are bright red and edible. Light-loving. Prefers moist and fertile soils. Resistant to diseases. Highly winter-hardy.

– apples of paradise – apple trees with small decorative fruits that make excellent jam. In our gardens, hybrids and varieties of domestic apple trees with Chinese, Siberian, Ranetka and other apple trees are most often found.

Apple tree "Evereste"

During flowering (which lasts about 2 weeks), it is impossible to take your eyes off the apple tree, and the aroma from the white or pink flowers is simply dizzying. And when the fruits are formed, the trees are no less decorative. Apples on many varieties remain hanging until mid-winter, providing food for birds. Decorative apple trees reach a height of 3 to 10 meters depending on the variety, but can be easily shaped by pruning.

Chinese plum apple tree(Malusprunifolia), which comes from China, gets its name from its leaf shape, which resembles that of the Chinese plum tree. These are tall, unpretentious, drought-resistant trees (up to 10 m) with abundant fruiting even after harsh winters. In addition, they bloom very beautifully and profusely. Breeders have developed many forms with different sizes, crown shapes and fruit colors. The most common varieties are “Kitayka apricot” and “Kitayka Saninskaya”.

There are well-known frost-resistant varieties bred by Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin: “Dessert Chinese”, “Aniseed Chinese” and “Early golden Chinese”.

In the gardens of the Moscow region you can find winter-hardy Canadian variety "Kerr" with a good crown that does not require formative pruning. The variety has beautiful, non-shattering dark red fruits that can be used for decorations. New Year's table. Apples are delicious both fresh and in preparations: compotes, preserves, jams, marmalade, juices, wine, cider.

Quite often you can find them on sale now. variety "Royalty" with pink flowers and purple fruits up to 2 cm in diameter. Only the blossoming leaves with a purple tint are very beautiful in this variety.

Variety "Ola" Delights with bronze-red foliage, pink flowers and pink-purple apples.

Extraordinarily beautiful Niedzwiedzki apple tree during flowering: the buds are red-violet, and the flowers are bright raspberry-purple. The apples of this apple tree are dark red-violet and up to 2 cm in diameter.

Variety "Transitional" the latest blooming has creamy white flowers and yellow apples with a reddish side.

Scab resistant variety "Long", brought from the USA, will annually delight you with an abundance of bright red small apples.

The most frost-resistant ornamental apple trees are apple tree varieties th (Malusbaccata), Siberian. They can withstand frosts down to -50 degrees. But the fruits of the varieties are very small, like currants, yellow, red and orange. All varieties are simply amazing when flowering. U varieties "Hopa" flowers are purple-pink with a lilac tint, while the variety “StreetParade” has pink buds and white flowers.

Highly winter-hardy, medium-sized ranetki apple trees were obtained by crossing Siberian apple trees with large-fruited varieties. The most famous are “Ranetka Ermolaeva” and “Ranetka purple”.

Good winter-hardy, well-fruiting varieties have been bred from crossing Ranetki with domestic apple varieties (“Melba”, “Papirovka”, “Pepin saffron”, etc.): “Winter Saffron”, “Altai Dove”, “Scarlet Flower”, “Malinka”, etc. .

Location, soil

Ornamental apple trees grow well in sunny or semi-shaded places. In the lowlands where it accumulates cold air, may freeze slightly in the first years. Groundwater on the site should be located no higher than 2 meters to the soil level.

The soil for ornamental apple trees is prepared in the same way as for ordinary ones. Recommended composition: garden soil, peat, humus (compost), sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:0.5. For one tree, 100-120 g of any granular complex fertilizer is added to this mixture.

Landing

Ornamental apple trees with an open root system in the Moscow region are recommended to be planted in the spring: March-April or in the fall: from September 15 to October 10-15. Before planting, seedlings are soaked for 6-12 hours in a solution of any root stimulant (, humate, etc.), or you can use folk remedies. Before planting, you need to carefully examine the roots: broken and diseased ones are cut off to healthy tissue, and the sections are sprinkled with charcoal. Plant the apple tree in pre-prepared soil. The pit for planting is prepared in advance, at least 2 weeks in advance. When planting in spring, it is better to dig a hole in the fall. The recommended size of the planting hole is 50x60 cm. Please note that the soil will settle a little after planting, pulling the seedling with it. Therefore, we plant the apple tree so that the root collar (who doesn’t know what it is, look at it) is 4-5 cm above ground level, making a mound of soil. The roots need to be carefully straightened and completely covered with soil, compacting it. After planting, water the seedling thoroughly; you can use the root stimulator solution in which the apple tree was soaked, diluting it with water. Then the soil will be necessary.

If an ornamental apple tree is purchased in a container, it can be planted throughout the entire gardening period. Before planting, the container with the seedling must also be soaked in a solution of any stimulant or simply in water until air bubbles appear on the surface of the water (about 20-30 minutes).

Care

Ornamental apple trees, although they are less demanding on growing conditions than garden apple trees, but in dry summers they require mandatory watering. (2-3 buckets per tree).

Application in landscape design

The decorative apple tree looks great as a tapeworm on the lawn. However, ornamental apple trees can be used to form a hedge.

When the apple trees bloom...Everyone generally likes it. Especially if these are ornamental apple trees. They also have bright fruits, red and pink leaves... Let's talk about the best varieties ornamental apple trees.

Ornamental apple trees grow both in the south and in colder regions. These trees live for a long time, which is why some long-lived trees still delight the eye in ancient parks. The apple trees themselves are frost-resistant, drought-resistant and tolerant of dirty air and water.

Typically, ornamental apple trees have the appearance of a rather tall shrub, but in our time dwarf and weeping forms have appeared, which have expanded the possibilities of landscape design.

They usually bloom for a little more than two weeks, but are beautiful even before flowering. Then they are decorated with bright and pretty buds. And even after flowering they remain very attractive.

Typically, the flowers of such apple trees have a diameter of 4 centimeters. The colors are different: there are pink, yellow, white, and red. Fruits can also have different colors.

The most popular varieties

There are about a hundred known decorative species apples Up to 190 different varieties are cultivated. The following are the most popular in our latitudes:

Nedzvetsky. Her color scheme includes a lot of burgundy and purple. Its flowers are purple-pink, its leaves are burgundy and purple, and its fruits are purple, but the flesh is pink. It grows quickly, is unpretentious, grows up to 5-6 meters in height. Easily survives frosts, pest attacks, and diseases;
Royalty. This tree is dwarf and has purple flowers. It has a spreading crown that does not need to be formed. During flowering it resembles sakura. The leaves turn pinkish and orange in autumn. The fruits are also purple, but they are not suitable for food;

Chinese. An apple tree resembling an Asian graceful girl. May look like a shrub or like a tree. Can grow up to 10 meters. It has ovate leaves that take on a fiery hue in autumn. The flowers are white, the inflorescences are umbrella-shaped. The size of the flowers is about 3 cm. The color of the fruit is pale red. The Chinese woman is resistant to any diseases, especially mycoses, and easily survives any weather changes;

Sargent. Quite a miniature shrub - rarely exceeds three meters. The branches are thin, but strong, located horizontally. Sometimes thorns appear on them. Sargenta blooms in May, the flowers are white and very miniature. It has ovate leaves, the color can be soft green, orange or bright yellow in the fall;
Makamic. This is not a very tall tree - from three meters to six. The flowers are pink-purple, the fruits are miniature and slightly elongated, their color is bright red. Despite their small size, makamika fruits are the largest among ornamental apples. It is beautiful both when it blooms and when it bears fruit. The fruits are exceptionally tasty;
Berry. Also called Siberian. It can be either a tree or a shrub. Can grow up to 5 meters. The crown is round and dense, branching begins at a fairly low level. It blooms with white flowers, but its buds are pink. Apples can stay on the tree all winter. They are also edible. They are characterized by rather slow growth;
Tsumi. tree small sizes(up to 6 meters). The crown is thick and spherical, there are many flowers. The flowers are up to 3 centimeters in size. Their buds are pink, but the petals are white. Tsumi blooms in June and May, apples appear in September. Fruit color is red;

Scheidecker. The height is up to three and a half meters, but it is a full-fledged tree. Blooms semi-double and pale pink flowers. The fruits are bright yellow (in some species, bright red);
Pallas, aka Siberian. Usually a bush or low tree. The crown is round and lush. Flowers up to three and a half centimeters, usually white, but can also be pinkish. The fruits are yellow or red. Blooms in June and May.

Growing and care

These beauties can be grown both from seeds and from layering, root suckers and cuttings. Sprouts are planted in the fall. Special requirements Ornamental apples do not have soil tolerance. But it is better if the soil is well-drained and fertile. They love light, but are also tolerant of slight darkening. Bury the seedlings carefully and so that the root collar remains close to the soil surface.

Ornamental apple trees are responsive to watering, but young seedlings must be kept in constantly moist soil. In the first year, there is no need to fertilize ornamental apple trees, but then give them balanced fertilizers in next years life.

Among the diseases, the most common are powdery mildew and fire blight. Apple scab is less common. Pests include spider mites and aphids.

Can be used to create hedges yourself for various purposes. You can also create borders or walls from them. However, a single ornamental apple tree is beautiful.

They are easy to trim and trim, but it needs to be done rarely and with the utmost care.

It is better to trim them if the crown thickens or the apple tree needs to be rejuvenated. The haircut should be done before the growing season begins, that is, in the spring. It will be enough to remove branches that have frozen or dried out, as well as those that grow inside the crown itself. You also need to untangle the thickets of branches if they intersect.

Do not forget to periodically treat beauties with insecticides. You also need to mulch the ornamental apple tree. For this you need pine or spruce bark, sawdust or peat.

Decorative apple trees in spring

Actually, spring is the cherished time for which ornamental apple trees exist primarily, since their flowering is a truly magical sight. For example, I.V. Michurin writes about the hybrids obtained from the pink-flowered Nedzvetsky apple tree, which he used in breeding: “All the trees... give a spectacular, rare beauty of some kind tropical plants... They mistook them for magnolias and thought they were seeing a particularly tall type of azalea.”

And if we are talking about pink varieties, then the choice is quite large. You can note a variety such as, for example, Rudolph.

It was obtained in Canada in 1954. This is a very profusely flowering tree, up to 5-6 m high. It blooms with large pink-red flowers, which cover the tree so densely that the foliage fades into the background. By autumn it is covered with bright orange fruits.

In the variety Profusion interesting distinctive feature: leaves unusual shape– three-bladed. The flowers are lilac-pink, simple. It is also distinguished by abundant annual flowering.

But the variety is especially noteworthy Brandy Magic.

He's amazing! Its double flowers for apple trees are, one might say, simply huge (up to 5 cm in diameter), and their tone is also completely unusual - warm. And even if the flowering is not so abundant, there are flowers with large stamens, similar to miniature roses, make it stand out from all the others.

It should be noted that varieties with white flowers are also popular, especially if they are dwarf and do not take up much space in the garden, such as Tina variety. It grows slowly, reaching about 3 m in diameter when mature. Red buds unfurl into small white flowers with golden stamens. There are so many of them on the branches that the tree or shrub appears to be covered with snow.

Decorative apple trees in summer

The time is much calmer, but even now apple trees do not remain colorless extras, while many beautiful flowering shrubs, and generally recognized garden favorites, cannot boast of this. They have only one high point - flowering, then for some it would be better if they were completely forgotten until the next flowering. Apple trees compare very favorably with them.

Many varieties of ornamental apple trees have either a purple color or a purple tint to the leaves. This is due to the fact that they originated from Niedzwiecki apple trees, which served as the donor of such coloring. The most striking representative of purple-leaved varieties is Royalty, which many have already heard, up to 5 m in height. Its leaves are such a thick dark purple color (especially in spring) that the royal burgundy flowers and fruits are almost lost against their background.

By autumn, many purple-leaved forms often turn somewhat green, but the color still remains quite striking. Dark foliage is well set off by shrubs and trees with white-variegated foliage in multi-color compositions. But when planting, remember that in the shade the intensity of the purple color decreases.

Decorative apple trees in autumn

The breeding direction of ornamental apple trees provides for the abundance of fruits and their long stay on the trees, but taste qualities are practically not considered. Although there are varieties with a pleasant fruit taste. For example, Golden Hornet) – its apples are small (2.5 cm), rich yellow with a tan on the sunny side, and remain on the branches for a long time. Abundant fruiting turns this apple tree into a tree hung with gold beads, which looks cheerful even when the leaves fall off and the skeleton of the tree is exposed.

Among the most decorative and at the same time edible are the fruits of the variety John Downie– dark yellow with red barrels (on the sunny side), relatively large, they can be eaten fresh, made into compotes or used for jam.

Decorative apple trees in winter

During the first half of winter, we continue to admire the fruits that are hung on branches that have lost their foliage. Often this is the only bright spot in an empty, dim garden that has forgotten about the sun.

In addition, in winter, varieties with original form crowns, it is now that one can fully appreciate their unusualness. The most interesting are weeping and umbrella apple trees. To obtain them, use a short apple tree, grafting it onto a tall trunk. These umbrellas look great either alone or in groups, especially if they differ in height from each other.

Breeders could not ignore such unusual crowns. This is how they appeared varieties Red Jade, Cheat's Weeping, Royal Beauty with weeping hanging branches, and of course, rich flowering.

But enough of the “crying.” Let's leave sadness behind and turn to cheerful vertical forms.

Columnar apple trees with edible fruits immediately crossed the border separating orchard from decorative. There are varieties that, although not columns in pure form, but also with narrow vertical crowns.

For example, in the variety Van Eseltine(with white-pink semi-double flowers, about 5 cm in diameter) the crown in youth is first narrow-columnar-shaped, then funnel-shaped. Street Parade characterized by a dense narrow oval crown, and Red Obelisk In addition to the columnar shape of the crown, it attracts with red foliage. You can always find a place in the garden for these compact trees.

Ornamental apple trees: purchasing and planting

The first question when buying apple trees is: what do you want to see in the garden when you purchase a decorative apple tree? Answer options: pink cloud of flowers in spring, unusual reddish foliage all over summer season, a lot of bright fruits (edible or not) in the fall, an original crown (even after the leaves have fallen) or both. Depending on the answer choose different varieties apple trees But in any case the most important indicator– winter hardiness (the ability to withstand not only the most severe frosts in the middle of winter, but also temperature changes at the end). The vast majority of varieties sold by us are winter-hardy enough for middle zone.

SO, HAVING DECIDED ON THE VARIETY, select a specific seedling. As a rule, container plants are now available for sale. Please note that the plant was actually grown in it, and not just planted. It is quite simple to determine this - a plant grown in a container holds its roots tightly to a lump of earth, and if you take it by the trunk and lift it, it rises along with the lump. Plants that have recently been dug up and just planted in containers usually do not have as well-developed root systems as those in containers, so the soil falls off the roots.

If we are talking about a variety with a regular crown shape, then it is preferable to choose symmetrical specimens.

When purchasing weeping forms, you need to pay attention to the height of the trunk (the trunk itself). All apple tree seedlings are grafted plants. Only in standard crowns the scion (wild) is a root and sometimes a small bottom part the trunk, the entire top is the scion, and in weeping rootstocks it is both the roots and the trunk. The graft of weeping forms is located in the upper part of the trunk, and since weeping crowns grow upward little, mainly to the sides and down, then on a small trunk the branches of the tree will soon fall on the lawn and it will lose its attractiveness, since the trunk (trunk) no longer grows upward will grow up. Only the grafted one will grow further upper part. Therefore, for weeping and umbrella forms, a high standard (at least 1.5 m) is preferable. If shoots appear from the crown or on the trunk of the rootstock, they must be removed immediately - these are wild shoots. If this is not done, they may clog the grafted part over time.

When planting, the seedling is thoroughly watered. IN landing hole add 2-3 buckets of humus or compost and subsequently carry out standard fertilizing - nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the fall, which helps annual abundant flowering and fruiting.

Planting a decorative apple tree

PLANTING T decorative apple trees in a well-lit place, optimal acidity fertile, drained soil pH 6-6.5. The size of the plant, depending on the variety, is about 5 m in height, 3-4 m in width when mature. Protection from pests and diseases is the same as for fruit trees.

In the first years after planting, if the tree is not formed, proper pruning is necessary. It is usually carried out early spring, before the buds bloom on the branches. Of course, if the tree is not shaped, then it does not die and even in most cases feels quite cheerful, but its decorative effect will leave much to be desired.

Standard crowns are pruned in the same way as fruit crowns - dry, broken, intersecting branches are removed, forming a cup-shaped or columnar crown (depending on the variety). An indicator of correct pruning is that after it the tree should look beautiful.

For weeping crowns, pruning is somewhat different. Long branches are shortened so that this year's shoots can grow to the sides rather than down. Therefore, pruning is done on the buds that look up; the shoots growing from them will expand the diameter of the umbrella.

Compositions with decorative apple trees

If you plant a decorative apple tree solo on the lawn, then your only concern will be maintaining the shape of the crown, watering and fertilizing, and decorative effect The apple tree itself will answer. However, you can try more difficult option designing a corner of the garden using other trees and/or herbaceous plants, that is, to compose a composition.

A win-win option for large gardens– planting several varieties of ornamental apple trees, differing in the shade of flowers and leaves. At the same time, it is desirable to have a similar character of the crown and the final size of the tree. For example, the varieties Hopa (Nora) with soft pink flowers and Royalty with deep red flowers look great together. The spectacular juxtaposition of white and pink-flowered varieties will also be with the silver birch Purpurea, whose dark foliage will set off the tenderness of the apple tree flowers.

If the size of the garden is limited and the space allows you to plant only one apple tree, then successful partners in a composition with it can be varieties of mountain pine, large varieties of western thuja (with pruning in the future).

LEAVED SHRUBS can be used as decorative deciduous species, selecting the variety depending on the shade of the apple tree flowers. Purple-leaved bladderworts, varieties of Ottawa barberry or large varieties of Thunberg barberry will look good with white and pink-flowered apple trees.

In a warm area, reliable and long-lasting decorative combination can be obtained using purple-leaved varieties of black elderberry. Elderberry is easy to shape, so you can always keep the volume of the bush within the right sizes. With red-flowered apple trees, you can plant thuja western Albospicata, variegated varieties of white deer, mock orange Variegatus, black elderberry Pulvirulenta or Albovariegata in one composition.

A composition with a decorative apple tree will attract attention all season long if we include long-flowering shrubs in it. Potentilla bush varieties will not cause much trouble. We will plant light-loving cinquefoil on the most illuminated side of the composition. Compositions of Japanese spirea or Bumalda varieties planted in the foreground can also be useful.

All the shrubs and trees that you include in a composition with an ornamental apple tree will sooner or later have to be shaped at least once a season, or even more often. This must be taken into account immediately when choosing a distance when planting, so that it is convenient to approach each plant in the composition.

Trunk CIRCLE apple tree It is advisable to keep it clean for the first few years after planting. Then you can sod it or plant herbaceous perennials there. Small-bulbous ephemeroids for spring bloom They are very unpretentious, do not require fertilizing or dividing bulb nests, they are easily propagated by self-sowing and become naturalized in the garden over time. Under the apple tree you can plant dense corydalis, Siberian and two-leaved scillas, chionodoxes, and snowdrops.

These crops will bloom when the apple tree is just unfurling its leaves. At the same time as the apple tree, muscari blooms, and among the traditional bulbous plants, daffodils and tulips with a medium flowering period. Muscari can be planted in trunk circle, daffodils and tulips - in specially designated places on the illuminated side of the composition. Primrose, large-leaved brunnera, and round-leaved saxifrage get along well under the apple tree. You can “launch” a dotted bell into the tree trunk circle - it blooms from the end of June for more than a month, is unpretentious, has a superficial root system(that is, it will not offend our apple tree), it easily spreads into stolons and will quickly occupy the proposed area.

Varieties of ornamental apple trees: photos

Decorative apple tree - cultivation, types and varieties: professional advice

When planting an orchard, we, of course, think about the harvest. And now the garden is happily blooming and bearing fruit, but something is missing from it... Maybe inspiration? Luxurious ornamental apple trees can help with this

It is quite simple to distinguish an ornamental apple tree from a fruit variety: its apples are used for decoration, not for harvest. Most often they are small, brightly colored and stay on the branch for a long time without falling off. But this apparent simplicity dissolves when it comes to choosing a plant for your garden.

What is most often asked when the conversation turns to ornamental apple trees?

“Are their fruits edible?” Such a question seems illogical in light of the fact that the value of plants is in the color of flowers and leaves, the shape and size of fruits, and, finally, in habit, but not in edibility. But no!

The brain is designed in such a way that apples should be apples, and not an artificial decoration on a tree. Well, it must be admitted that only a few ornamental apple trees have bitter, slightly astringent fruits - more often they have quite edible fruits, or in general these are varieties with outstanding decorative qualities. But first things first.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!
When choosing a variety, it is important to pay attention to the winter hardiness of the rootstock and the presence of intercalary inserts (when an M9 cutting is first grafted onto an ordinary strong or medium-growing rootstock, and a bud or cutting of a cultivated variety is grafted onto its top).

Where to plant

Among the peculiarities of cultivation, it should be noted that it is better to choose sunny, sheltered from the wind places for planting. Soils are better with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction, preferably sandy loam or loamy, drained.

Required watering

IN hot weather Apple trees need watering. The amount of moisture directly affects the yield. Lack of spring rains leads to shedding of flowers and ovaries. Summer water deficiency causes the fall of formed fruits. And the autumn dryness increases the outflow nutrients from generative buds.

Repeated flowering

Sometimes the weather conditions of the year cause apple trees to re-bloom. Most often - in September. Last time This phenomenon was observed in 2007. This is an anomaly for the plant. At the same time, generative buds open, intended for next spring.

And, although repeated flowering is quite decorative, it is still better to pick off the buds that open in September. Otherwise, the plant will waste energy, which will negatively affect overwintering. In any case, you can’t expect vigorous spring flowering.

Spectacular fruits

From August until the fruits fall, the effect of a fruit alley will be created by hybrid apple trees different varieties on high trunks, planted on both sides of the path. A different colors apples will only enhance the effect.

Varieties of ornamental apple trees are the most beautiful

Red-beautiful apple tree – 2

In spring and early summer, stately snow-white, with a delicate marshmallow-pink bloom, the beauties of apple trees attract our attention. No less good are decorative apple trees, which bloom with pink, crimson and almost red flowers.

Let's turn our attention not to newfangled, widely advertised varieties of ornamental apple trees, which often cost crazy amounts of money, but to more traditional, species-specific ones: they are no worse.

NEDZVETSKY

One of the most beloved, widespread and recognizable ornamental apple trees is me. Niedzwiec-kogo. It looks exotic among ordinary plants. It's painted in

NIEDZWICKI'S APPLE TREE HAS ALL PARTS DIFFERENT SHADES OF PURPLE:

red-brown bark of the trunk and branches, young leaves are burgundy-crimson, and old ones are green with a reddish tint; luxurious rich magenta-pink flowers, dark purple peel and bright pink fruit pulp in different shades everything is purple: red-brown bark of the trunk and branches, young leaves are burgundy-crimson, and old ones are red-green, magenta-pink flowers, dark purple peel and bright pink fruit pulp.

Interestingly, this species synthesizes the anthocyanin pigment (responsible for the red color) throughout the entire season from the beginning of the growing season to the end, whereas in most other plants anthocyanin synthesis occurs only in spring or autumn. Flowering occurs in late May - early June.

And by August, the entire tree, whose height does not exceed 7-8 m, is covered with purple (to violet) apples with shiny glossy sides. The fruits are small, up to 1 cm in diameter, but numerous. The high winter hardiness of this apple tree allows it to overwinter without shelter and grow in its own root form, and not in a grafted form, which is more typical for ornamental apple trees.

The first varieties are me. Nedzvetsky were received in Germany. Just 100 years ago, this was the most common type of ornamental apple tree in Europe. This type of apple tree forms a beautiful crown shape, reminiscent of a bright tent. It is resistant to diseases and pests. Transfers pruning (in early spring terms), but most often it does not need it. But it does not grow well with excessive soil moisture.

Dwarfs and umbrellas Two more types of apple trees deserve the close attention of garden design lovers and professionals.

LOWEST.

I have the reputation of being the lowest of the ornamental apple trees. Sargent. Its height is usually about 2 m. And its cultural forms are usually dwarf. Abundant flowering turns into equally abundant fruiting. Although the fruits are quite difficult to call apples in the usual sense. They look more like a bouquet of bright berries. The diameter of the fruit is 6 -8 mm. The fruits are carmine, dark red, bright red on very long stalks (up to 3 - 4 cm), which looks unusual in contrast with the small fruits. By autumn, the leaves acquire warm shades of red gold. The fruits stay on the tree for a long time, maintaining the decorative appearance of the plant after leaf fall. In addition, this species tolerates planting on heavy soils.

To grow in your greenhouse exotic plant content secrets should be applied. Gardeners want to see beautiful plants. The subtleties of caring for large classes of plants are not similar. An exotic flowering creature requires painstaking care. In this article, we tried to outline several secrets to avoid death when breeding a rare plant. To determine the correct measures, it is important to determine which family your plant belongs to.

An apple tree is like an ornamental tree...

Why do you need a cherry tree without cherries, an oak tree with weeping branches, or an apple tree with inedible apples? We plant maples and lindens, spruce and pine trees in our garden and do not expect a harvest from them. It just so happens that each tree has its own reputation. If it’s a maple, then it’s curly, if it’s an oak, then it’s mighty, if it’s an apple tree, then it’s certainly covered in apples. But modern gardening turns nature and our ideas about it on its head.

Ornamental apple trees can outshine many beautiful flowering trees and shrubs. Apple trees are considered the best trees middle lane. The benefits are undeniable, but the beauty cannot be taken away either. Tall, slender, with a proportional, well-developed crown if pruned correctly. The snow-white flowers, foreshadowing a rich harvest, are simply magnificent. And these May white and pink petals set poets in a lyrical mood.

Decorative apple trees

An apple tree is a wonderful garden decoration in itself. How many people know that special decorative forms are also used for these purposes: especially beautiful wild species and varieties purposefully created for these purposes, of which, by the way, there are more and more of them. For decoration, they try to select species that would be spectacular in both flowering and fruiting; they look closely at the decorativeness of the leaves, the shape of the tree and, of course, its winter hardiness. For these purposes, the berry forms of the apple tree are especially good, their fruits are the size of a pea, and if they are also brightly colored, then beauty flowering tree is replaced by no less spectacular decoration of it with small fruits.

Such wild-growing types of apple trees include Siebold apple, Manchurian, abundantly flowering, brown, tsumi, Siberian (aka Sibirka) and others.

The flowers of ornamental apple trees are very fragrant. During mass flowering, pleasant odors spread over a considerable distance and attract many insects. But it is known that

Ornamental apple trees with small leaves and fruits can be excellent material for bonsai. Trees can be made not only miniature for rooms, but also quite large, or even dwarf-shaped, for winter gardens and cold greenhouses. Many, such as apple berry, can even be used for trimmed hedges.

Siberian (M. baccata (L.) Borkh.)

Its value lies in its extraordinary winter hardiness and vitality in general. It blooms with large flowers on long stalks, and then is decorated with small bright red fruits that remain on the branches even after the leaves have fallen. It is also beautiful in autumn with leaves painted in yellow-orange tones. Has a lot decorative forms.

The Manchurian apple tree (M. manshurica Maxim) is already beautiful with its rounded crown with drooping branches. It is characterized by very decorative fruits - elongated-conical, yellow-orange in color with a blush, which also do not fall off for a long time.

Siebold apple tree (M. sieboldii (Rgl.) Rehb.)

stands out for its beautiful pyramidal crown shape, which is unusual for an apple tree. In addition, it is especially attractive both during the flowering period, and colored with small red fruits at the time of fruiting, and under the cover of orange-colored fruits in the fall. yellow large leaves. And by the way, it has long been used as an ornamental plant in East Asia and Europe.

Apple tree (M. floribunda Sieb.)

considered one of the most decorative forms. In cultivation since 1862. It is especially widely used in Japan, and there they know a lot about ornamental plants. It is spectacular in a dress of carmine-colored buds, and under a veil of white-pink flowers, and colored with dark red small fruits or golden-red foliage in the fall.

Brown or riverine apple tree (M. fusca Raf.)

came to us from North America. Very winter hardy. In cultivation since 1836. The flowers are white or light pink, large, 6-12 in inflorescences. The fruits are very impressive - yellow, with a red side or red, spherical-oval.

Tsumi apple tree (M. zumi Rehb.)

has long been used as an ornamental plant. It is a compact small tree with a round, dense crown. Blooms annually and profusely. The buds are carmine, the flowers are light pink. The fruits are small, yellow-red in color. In autumn, the leaves turn an intense yellow with a hint of red. Can be damaged by frost, but recovers well.

Among the decorative species with larger fruits are Nedzvetsky, Pratt, Hall, wonderful, forest, plum-leaved (Chinese) apple trees.

The Niedzwetzkyana apple tree (M. niedzwetzkyana Dieck) is most widespread in our country, as are the numerous forms and varieties obtained with its use. If you see an apple tree whose bark, leaves, skin and even the flesh of the fruit are dark red, you know that this is a Niedzwiecki apple tree or its derivatives. It received its name in honor of the botanist V.E. Nedzvetsky, who collected the fruits of this apple tree in the vicinity of Kashkar and sent them to Dr. G. Dick, who introduced it into cultivation in Germany and gave it a name. The French gardener L. Tillier believed that this apple tree, from a decorative point of view, has no equal in European gardening.

Hall's apple tree (M. halliana Koehne) is characterized by a wide, spreading crown. The flowers are white, large, on thin drooping stalks, fragrant. The fruits are small, yellow-red. The leaves turn light green before falling.

The wonderful apple tree (M. spectabilis (Ait.) Borkh.) is one of the most beautiful ornamental plants, long cultivated in Japan and China. Her homeland is China. It has been in cultivation since 1780. It is a tall tree (up to 8-9 m) with striking red-brown branches, large flowers (up to 5 cm in diameter), pale pink or light red, the inflorescence contains up to 5-8 . The fruits are spherical, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, red or yellow. It has a number of forms with double and semi-double flowers.

The forest or wild apple tree (M. silvestris (L.) Mill.) is widely used to decorate gardens and parks in our country. It also has a number of decorative forms with different types of growth, coloring of leaves and flowers: weeping - profusely flowering, with drooping branches and edible seedless fruits; terry - with numerous double flowers: golden - with yellow-variegated leaves; red-fruited - with spectacular dark red fruits.

Plum-leaved apple tree (M. prunifolia (Willd.) Borkh.). which includes Chinese and many of the Siberian small-fruited varieties such as Ranetki and even semi-cultivars, for example Ranetka purpurovaya, Dolgo, Pepinka Altai.

I would especially like to draw attention to the importance of ornamental apple trees for decorating cities. After all, the apple tree is one of the few trees that can tolerate gas pollution and dust in city air. It also stands out for another ability: asphalt, concrete, and houses in cities absorb all the solar radiation falling on them, and the apple tree reflects more than half of it into space and “works” in this direction twice as efficiently as a birch tree, and three times more successfully than a bird cherry tree. . Therefore, on streets lined with apple trees, the air in summer is not only cleaner, but also cooler.

I.S. ISAEVA, doctor s. -X. Sci.