4 parts compost
1 part perlite
1 part vermiculite
2 parts peat moss
That there is little to no nutrition in the mix, because seeds come with their own, built-in nutrition. (“A seed is a baby plant in a box, with it’s lunch.”)
Seed starting mix is finer than other mixes, so it’s important that the compost used is very fine. ~Sherri Morgan, Master Gardener & AGC Board Member
Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member
Crabapple cultivars are versatile; they are available in various sizes, flower colors, fruit colors and fruit sizes. Flower colors vary from white, light pink, deep pink and magenta, these blossoms are showy, often fragrant, and they attract pollinators. Crabapple fruit differ in sizes from ¼-inch to 1 ½-inch, and ripening times range from July through November. For fruit colors you can chose a tree that produces bright red, deep red, maroon, rose red, pink, deep pink, rose pink, golden orange or yellow-green fruit. Crabapple apples provide an abundant food source for birds during the winter, and they provide winter interest in your landscape. Look for trees labeled with “persistent” fruit, meaning fruits stay on the tree extending garden interest and food for birds.
Crabapples are hardy in Zones 4-8.
Sun Exposure: Full Sun 6+ hours, Part Sun 4-6 hours, Full Shade up to 4 hours. Select disease resistance varieties best for your growing area. Selecting disease resistance varieties should be a 1st priority for successful growing.
Semi-dwarf Crabapples (15ft-18 ft High)
Sugar Tyme
Sugar Tyme Crabapple: 18ft H x 15ft W; Upright spreading oval form. Foliage: Green. Flowers: Pale Pink buds, Fragrant Single White Flowers. Fruits: Red, ½-inch, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Fire Blight & Scab.
Red Jewel
Red Jewel Crabapple: 15 ft H x 12 ft W; Tree is upright pyramidal form. Foliage: Green. Flower: Pure White, Single Flowers. Fruit: Brilliant Red, ½-inch, Very Persistent, in mild winters fruits often hold on until new buds appear. Disease resistant ratings – Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Scab. Fair: Fire Blight.
Indian Magic
Indian Magic Crabapple: 15 ft H x 15 ft W; upright spreading branches. Foliage is dark green. Flowers: Deep pink 1 ½ inch singles. Fruit: Orange Red, ½-inch, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew. Good: Cedar Apple Rust & Fire Blight. Fair: Scab
Coral Burst
Coralburst Crabapple: 15ft H x15 ft W; slow growing tree forming a compact dense rounded head. Foliage: Dark Green. Flowers: Coral Pink buds, Double Rose Flowers. Fruit: Yellow-green, 1/8-1/2- inch. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust & Fire Blight. Fair: Scab.
Standard Size (20 feet or higher)
Royal Raindrops
Royal Raindrops Crabapple: 20 ft H x 15 W; upright and spreading with good branching habit, deeply lobed leaves. Foliage: Purple, Cut-leaf lob, turning orange/red in the fall. Fruit: Bright Pinkish-Red, 1/4-inch, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Scab & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Mildew & Fire Blight.
Donald Wyman
Donald Wyman: 20 ft h x 24 ft W; Tall and wide rounded shape. Foliage: Glossy Green. Flowers: Single, White. Fruit: Bright Red, 3/8-inch, Abundant, Highly Persistent. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Scab. Fair: Fire Blight.
Note: Where fire blight is a concern, avoid spring pruning (when bacterium can enter fresh open cuts).
Article by: Carlotta Lucas
Resource: Forest Farms, Williams Oregon https://www.forestfarm.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=crabapple&cat=&order=genus_species_cultivar&dir=asc
Resource: J. Frank Schmidt & Son, Growers, Boring Oregon
Chart: https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/JFS_CRAB_CHART.pdfCrabapples are an excellent choice for creating winter interest in a landscape and their small fruits are a desirable food source for birds. Crabapples have a reputation of being messy, but if you purchase trees with “persistent” fruit, then the fruits stays on the tree longer, making less of a mess on the ground and leaving more fruit on the tree for birds. Persistent fruits also provide longer winter interest with red, pink, orange or yellow fruits hanging on trees.
Crabapple blossoms come in white, light pink, deep pink and rose-colored, which attracts butterflies and bees in the spring. Some varieties have fragrant flowers and some have purple foliage. Crabapples come in various sizes to accommodate small, medium or large yards. In this first posting I am listing three dwarf varieties for small spaces and ones with excellent to good disease resistance; there are many more. (*chart)
Hardiness Zones 4-8. Sun Exposure: Full Sun 6+ hours, Part Sun 4-6 hours, Full Shade up to 4 hours. Note: Where fire blight is a concern, avoid spring pruning (when bacterium can enter fresh open cuts).
Dwarf Crabapples
Lollipop Crabapple: 10 ft H x 10 ft W; Neat formal compact dwarf tree 
with rounded head, fine texture with small leaves and dense growth habit and symmetrical form. Foliage: Green. Flowers: White with yellow stamens. Fruit: Bright red, 3/8-inch. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Fire Blight & Scab.
Sargent Crabapple: 8 ft H x12ft W; Natural forming dwarf tree with 
horizontal spreading branches. Foliage: Dark Green. Flowers: Profuse ½-inch white fragrant flowers. Fruit: 1/4-inch Bright Red, Profuse, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust, Fire Blight & Scab.
Pink Princess Crabapple: 8 ft h x 12 ft W; Natural dwarf tree with low spreading branches. Foliage: Purple turning to Bronze-Green. Flowers: Rose
Pink. Fruit: Deep Red, ¼ -inch. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Cedar Apple Rust, Mildew, Fire Blight & Scab.
Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
*Chart by: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/JFS_CRAB_CHART.pdf
Plant Name: Spiraea splendens
Common name: Mountain Spirea/Rose Meadowsweet 
Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 1.5’ – 3’
Plant Width: 1.5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June to August
Flower Color: Rose Pink
Exposure: Sun to Light Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates a Variety of Soils, but Well-Drained.
Water Need: Low
Attributes: Yellow Fall Color; Fragrant Flowers; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Good for Pollinators.
Uses: Butterfly Garden; Small Space Shrub.
Native to: British Columbia to California
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9
City of Ashland Firewise Plant: Plants may be planted within 5 feet of a building.
Report by AGC Members: Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas
Photo by: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
Photos by AGC Members: Lisa Force, Amy Lepon, & Carlotta Lucas
Ashland’s Japanese Garden in Lithia Park is closing soon to be resigned. This project has been in the works since 2018, but the physical work starts this month (Nov 2020) and will take 2 years to complete. Ashland Parks & Recreation is working with landscape designer Toru Tanaka to create an authentic Japanese Garden. Mr. Tanaka was trained in Japan and has more than 35 years of experience creating Japanese Gardens. He is the founder and president of Portland Landscape Design and Japanese Garden Specialty. Ashland’s new garden was made possible by a generous grant from Jeff Mangin, and the Marechal family of Normandy, France, who donated all the funds for this new Japanese Garden in remembrance of Jeff’s wife, Beatrice Marechal.
Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Photos by: Lucretia Weems, AGC member