For thousands of years, apple orchards have been sung by many poets in their works. And this is no coincidence. Ornamental apple trees are the most picturesque woody plants. They will decorate any garden with their magnificent flowering and bright colors of fallen leaves. Apple trees are beautiful trees: lush crown, dwarf fruits, glowing among the lush green foliage.
Description of decorative apple trees
This culture is a low tree. The top point of the crown reaches ten meters in height. Certain types of ornamental apple trees take the form of shrubs. If you do not form a crown, it is an irregular oval or ball. There are fruit-bearing varieties, but their fruits do not have excellent taste, many of them are not edible at all. The bark of the trunk may have a pastel shade or brown color.
When choosing varieties of decorative apple trees, special attention should be paid to the color and shape of the leaf plates. In some species, they have a red tint and do not fall for a long time in the fall, due to which designers are given the opportunity to create magnificent landscapes, even if the soil composition is poor and the weather conditions are unfavorable. However, the main color of foliage of decorative apple trees is green. With the onset of autumn, it changes to yellow and red. The leaves are in the form of an ellipse or plum, their length is 10 cm.
Crohn during flowering is strewn with numerous flowers with heady aroma, their diameter is four centimeters. The main color is white, but with peach, pink or ivory shades. Inflorescences are bouquets collected from single flowers. Fruits are formed immediately after flowering, first they are green, then yellow or red.
Features in the cultivation
Decorative apple trees have an amazing property: they do not respond to the adverse factors that the environment presents from time to time. The culture is frost-resistant, grows in regions with a cold climate, and is not afraid of drought, grows on saline soils, in a polluted environment and in the conditions of modern cities.
Ornamental apple trees are grown in places illuminated by the sun. Here they will not lose their decorative effect and will decorate the garden at any time of the year. Apple trees do not grow well in areas even with light partial shade, and the shadow does not tolerate at all. It is unlikely that in such conditions they will please with abundant flowering and fruiting.
On what soil do they grow?
Apple trees do not have special requirements for the soil, but they have their own preferences: fertile, fresh soil. They grow in any conditions, however, excessively moist, dry, sandy, marshy and rocky soils are not desirable for them. These ornamental plants are attractive, even if they grow on depleted soils.
Landing
The procedure is almost the same as for most woody plants in the garden. It is better to plant decorative apple trees in spring, before buds open. But this can be done in the autumn period, landing occurs in September or early October. Seedlings of four years of life are planted in the spring and autumn, adult plants - only before the onset of winter. It is especially important which plants will grow in the neighborhood. Apple trees need free space, so it is better not to plant them next to large specimens. For each, a place is left equal to the diameter of the crown of an adult tree, about five to six meters. The distance between the apple trees and neighboring crops should be two to three meters.
Pits for planting need to be dug large, with a diameter of 80 cm and a depth of about one meter. This is done in advance, in the fall or 30 days before planting. The soil in the pit is replaced by another, prepared independently: the sheet soil from the garden is mixed, sand and humus in a ratio of 1: 2: 3 parts. In the resulting mixture add mineral fertilizer in an amount of 250-300 g. Without soil improvement, apple trees take root for a long time. The root neck should not be covered with soil, it should be above its surface.
How is the crown formed?
This is usually done during trimming. There are many types of crowns in their shape: weeping, longline, improved, cordon, palmette and others. Regardless of the planting time: spring or autumn, the formation is done for next year, as soon as spring comes, but the buds have not yet blossomed. This time falls on April, its beginning.
In the spring, a strong shoot stands out on the seedling, growing in the vertical direction. On it, three or four branches are selected, located evenly along the trunk, and are cut to the same height. Forming the crown, it is necessary to arrange the branches at a sufficiently large distance from one another, with the central one being higher than the others. The following year, in March, the selected branches are shortened at the level of strong external buds. Shoots that can compete are removed. In subsequent years, several new branches are selected, which are formed in the same way.
Apple trees of some decorative species are formed by the type of weeping trees. In order to give the crown such a shape, the apple tree must be grafted onto a stamb at a level of one and a half meters from the ground. Three to four years later, the branches hang to the surface of the soil. Subsequently, they need to be regularly trimmed so that the crown is beautiful and transparent.
How to care for a tree?
A decorative apple tree needs appropriate care. This crop grows better in fertile, drained soils, needs moderate watering, but does not tolerate stagnation of water. The soil in the near-stem circles of trees should be mulched with crushed conifer bark, nutshells, sawdust, peat. This will retain moisture in the soil, rid the apple tree of weeds.
In the spring, preventive spraying of trees is carried out. If the fruits are not to be consumed, pest control can be carried out during the flowering period of the apple tree, the formation and ripening of its fruits. But it is better to refrain from this, as appetizing apples attract, especially children. In addition, birds feed on them. So that no one is poisoned, it is better to fight pests with chemical preparations before the onset of the vegetative period.
Apple trees are affected by diseases such as powdery mildew, scab. In addition, trees infect bacteria that cause burns. In this case, such specimens are subject to destruction, since the disease can quickly spread to other trees.
Apple tree of Nedzvetsky
In the climatic conditions of our country, this species is the most common. Experienced gardeners believe that the Nedzvetsky apple tree is not equal among other fruit representatives. This low tree reaches a height of three and a half meters. The crown has an oval shape, its width is two and a half meters. As you can see, the parameters of the two measurements are almost the same. From this crown looks even more rounded, which gives the whole tree a cozy look. During abundant flowering, the tree is covered with purple buds, and during fruiting - raspberry apples with a diameter of four centimeters. The only drawback of the Nedzvetsky apple tree is damage in severe frosts.
Weeping apple tree
This variety has another name - "river". The place of distribution of the apple tree is mainly North America, but it grows well in our country. She is not afraid of severe frosts, calmly withstands them due to the large thickness of her bark. If you provide good care, its height reaches 12 meters. It got its name because of the flexible branches, which, under the weight of numerous fruits and leaves, bend down to the ground.
Leafy apple tree
This is a hybrid culture, therefore, it is able to withstand conditions called adverse. Another advantage is resistance to a disease such as scab, and other lesions characteristic of this species.
Decorative red-leafed apple tree reaches a height of four meters. Crohn is magnificent, wide. Its diameter is three meters. This is an amazing plant. The leaves first have a purple color, and during the ripening period of red fruits - emerald. Frost tolerates, not damaged.
Siberian
Today it is the most popular decorative culture. The birthplace of the apple tree is China. In the wild, the place of growth is Siberia. To decorate the landscape is grown everywhere. Flowering occurs in the spring. At this time, the crown of the tree looks like a cloud of white and pink hue. Apples, like beads, ripen in autumn. The tree is of average height, about five meters. The crown has an umbrella-shaped or rounded shape. The leaves are elongated, the surface is smooth, the tip is pointed. Flowering lasts 14 days. The fruits are sung quickly, but are not suitable for eating.
Royalty
This variety of apple trees is characterized by slow growth. It takes 8-10 years for a tree to become an adult. After that, its height reaches five meters. The crown is wide, four meters in diameter. Royalty apple tree has unusual leaves. They are narrow, glossy tint has a purple color. In autumn, the leaves turn red, but their brightness and attractiveness remain. The Royal Apple tree is resistant to frost, but does not tolerate moisture stagnation in the soil.
Robin
The apple tree grows in the form of a low bush, shaped like an oval. Crohn's plants are wide and dense. This variety is distinguished by the color of the buds: they are red, saturated, attractive even before blooming. During flowering, the bush is covered with numerous flowers with raspberry aroma, hence the name.
Forest
The shy apple tree comes from Europe. The tree can grow up to three meters, but its height can also be 10 m. The crown is sprawling, leaves are wide, egg-shaped. Flowers with a diameter of four to five centimeters are white or pink. Fruits with a diameter of 4-5 cm are spherical in shape, a yellowish-green tint with a pink blush. Edible apples, but sour.
Melba
The apple tree belongs to creeping varieties. Edible fruits ripen in the summer. They have a white color with a touch of red. Large enough for ornamental fruit trees, the mass of one apple is 80-100 g. Storage is average in duration - one month.
Chinese woman
This type of apple tree has delicious fruits. They are used for making compotes and preserves. The apple tree Kitayka is adapted for growth in the Russian climate, including in the northern regions. Belongs to wild-growing varieties with rapid growth. For a year it adds 20-30 cm, in height it can reach 10 meters. Decorative Chinese apple-tree: twigs hide behind pleasant emerald leaves, and during flowering - behind snow-white flowers. It seems that the crown is covered with snow. This species has many varieties, some of which are presented below.
Golden Chinese
This is the most popular variety. It does not differ in high frost resistance, but it has other indisputable advantages: it ripens early, fruiting occurs quickly, no need to wait five to eight years. Crohn's weeping, fruits are formed mainly in the apical part of the branches, they are edible. Weight reaches 30 g, size - seven centimeters. The apples are yellow and sour in taste, but very pleasant. However, they are not stored for long, only seven days, when ripened, they crumble. Fruits are high in vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, so they are consumed fresh. In addition, they are used for making jam, jams, preserves, marshmallows, jellies. Juices and wine are prepared from them.
Bellefleur chinese
A popular variety that can often be found on garden plots. The tree is tall, the crown is thick, therefore it needs to be formed. The fruits are edible and large enough for a decorative breed, individual specimens weigh 500-600 g each. They are painted yellow with a pink hue in the form of stripes. They have a sweet and sour taste, pleasant aroma, are stored for a long time, two months. The apple tree begins to bear fruit after eight years of life, the yield is small.