Malus robusta Red Sentinel
Another variety with glamorous, blood-red fruits that stay on the branches right through the winter months, you will have to choose whether you want to leave them there to brighten up your garden or bring them in to the kitchen. Red Sentinel's fruits are small but well suited for use in lip-smacking purees, jellies and other apple dishes that require a sharper taste. Starting in late April, this tree produces a mass of small white, strongly scented flowers that make a delicate, balanced display with the bright green leaves, rather than engulfing the whole tree. It is a good pollinator for apple trees, not only because it flowers all through the seasons of different varieties but also because it is exceptionally disease resistant to scab, fireblight and mildew. Crab apples are not very prone to disease anyway but if you live in a warm, damp area, there is a higher risk of infection and, especially if you keep an orchard, it is reassuring to know that your crab apple won't succumb to or spread any unwanted microbes.
Malus robusta Red Sentinel is not only tough against natural diseases, it is also pollution resistant and we recommend it highly for urban planting and small gardens. The RHS has given this tree an Award of Garden Merit, for beauty and ease of cultivation, and an Award of Merit for cuttings of its flowering stems when used in a display. This tree is a good pollination partner for any plant in the Apple Tree Pollination guide.
Planting Malus Red Sentinel:
Crab apples like a fertile, well drained soil but will do well in any soil type, so long as it isn't waterlogged. Your tree will reach about 5 metres.
If you are unclear about the way standard trees are sized, take a look at our Guide to Standard Tree Sizing or you can go back to our main standard trees page.
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