Red Sentinel Crab Apple Trees

• Variety: Red Sentinel, the Crab Apple that holds its red fruit into winter
• Latin name: Malus x robusta 'Red Sentinel'
• Sold as: Bareroot half-standard, 200/250cm tree, and standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: 4 to 8m tall and wide, to about 7m, over 10 to 20 years
• Flowers: Single, white, 3cm across, from late April
• Fruit: Glossy, deep red flushed with yellow, 2.5cm across, in clusters that last well into winter
• Leaves: Dark green, to 8cm long
• Shape: Broadly upright
• Self-fertile: Yes, and a pollinator for eating apples
• Best soil and site: Any moderately fertile soil that drains, chalk and clay included. Sun, and it tolerates partial shade
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (1993)
• RHS Plants for Pollinators: Yes
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Red Sentinel is the Crab Apple to plant for winter: clusters of glossy, deep red fruit, 2.5cm across, that stay on the branches long after the leaves have gone. Single white flowers open from late April on a broadly upright tree of 4 to 8 metres. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Red Sentinel Crab Apple Trees

Red Sentinel crab apple trees have plentiful clusters of blood-red fruits that stay on the branches deep into the winter months. Starting in late April, the purple buds produce a mass of single, white (variably tinged with pink), strongly scented flowers that make a delicate, balanced display with the bright green leaves, rather than engulfing the whole tree.
Red Sentinel's fruits are quite small, numerous and well suited for use in purées, jellies and other apple dishes that require a sharper taste. If you leave them on the branch to brighten up your garden in winter, birds usually won't start pecking away at them until after they have been well softened by a few hard frosts.
It can reach a height of about 6-7 metres tall, highly recommended for small, city gardens.

John Downie and Golden Hornet are classic pollinators for orchard apple trees, but if scab is a problem in your area, this variety is well worth a try.
Browse our range of crab apple trees.

Delivery season: Crab apple trees are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it's convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Red Sentinel Crab Apple Trees

Any well drained soil, tolerates partial shade and urban pollution well.

History & Trivia

Malus x robusta is a hybrid of Malus baccata (Siberian crab apple) and Malus prunifolia, both native to Asia. It was bred by Notcutts Nursery in the 1950's.

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.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Planting Companions

Evereste and John Downie are the other two white-flowered, red-fruited standards, and Butterball or Golden Hornet give you yellow fruit against the red. Every Crab Apple is self-fertile and will pollinate your eating apples. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Red Sentinel Crab Apple comes as a bareroot tree, lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Plant it between November and April, and it will establish readily.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the fruit stay on a Red Sentinel?

Well into winter, says the RHS. Birds tend to leave the fruit until a few hard frosts have softened it, so you keep the colour through the darkest months.

Can you eat Red Sentinel crab apples?

Cooked, yes. The fruit is small and sharp, which suits jellies and purées. Pick what you need and leave the rest on the tree for winter.

Will a Red Sentinel pollinate your apple trees?

Yes. Every Crab Apple we sell is self-fertile and a pollinator for eating apples, and this one flowers from late April. The RHS lists it as a Plant for Pollinators.

How big does Red Sentinel grow?

The RHS gives it 4 to 8 metres in height and spread, and describes it as a broadly upright tree to 7 metres, reached over 10 to 20 years.

Red Sentinel or Golden Hornet?

Red fruit or yellow. Red Sentinel's is deep red and lasts well into winter, and the tree holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Golden Hornet's is yellow, and it holds no award.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.