Malus coronaria Charlottae / Flore Pleno
This is a lovely crab apple with a unique characteristic - its flowers smell of violets. It's not overpowering but still distinctive and we don't know of another Malus species like it. Charlottae's flowers appear in late May and are plentiful, large and pink, with more than one layer of petals that makes them look a little like the flower of a climbing rose - well deserving of the name Flore Pleno, which means "full flowered". The leaves have an attractive lobed shape and sumptuous autumn colour, with fiery reds and oranges - one of the most outstanding displays of any crab apple. The green fruit ripen from October and tend to fall easily from the branches, which is handy as they good to cook with - you can hang a net around the tree to make collecting them easier and to stop them bruising when they fall. If you are a fan of using crab apples for purees, jellies, apple butter, smoothies or anything else you can think of, we really recommend Charlottae because it is known for fruiting well after any sort of summer, be it damp or scorching, so you won't be disappointed if the weather misbehaves. Of course, if you don't want the apples, there are plenty of creatures that do and they make great compost. Your tree should reach about 7 metres.
Like any crab apple, Malus coronaria Charlottae isn't very fussy about soil types and will do well in heavy clay, as long as it has adequate drainage. It will grow just fine in a shady spot but you will get fewer flowers and fruit. If you are thinking about using this tree as a pollinator for normal apple trees, it is suitable for any tree that is in the early or mid-season categories of the Apple Tree Pollination guide.
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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