Showtime Crabapple

Showtime Crabapple (Malus 'Shotizam' Showtime) is a small deciduous tree for gardens without room to spare. It settles at around 4m tall and 3m wide, and covers itself each spring in deep magenta pink blossom over burgundy tinted foliage. Small red fruit follows and holds on the bare branches through autumn, which is when the birds find it.

Why you'll love it

• Blossom before the garden wakes. Deep magenta pink flowers cover the canopy in early spring, when most beds are still bare.
• Foliage with colour in it. New growth carries a burgundy tint rather than plain green, and the leaves turn again before dropping.
• Roots that stay out of trouble. Non-invasive, so it can sit near a driveway, path or boundary without lifting them.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, wind tolerant, content in poor soil and drought tolerant once the roots are down.
• It feeds the garden. Bees work the blossom and birds take the fruit, which is edible for people too, though tart enough that most cooks turn it into jelly.

Where it works best

Feature planting. At 4m by 3m it is the right scale for a single specimen in a front garden or courtyard, where the spring flowering can be seen from the house.

Small gardens. A real tree without the shade and root spread of a large one. Allow about 2m from a wall or fence so the canopy rounds out evenly.

Driveways and avenues. For a matched row, space plants about 4m apart, slightly wider than the mature canopy, so each tree keeps its own shape.

Growing Showtime Crabapple in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, because shade costs both flowers and autumn colour. This is a tree for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It needs winter chill to flower properly, so subtropical and tropical gardens will not get the display.

Soil. It copes with poor ground but not waterlogging. Dig wide rather than deep, work compost through the backfill, and on heavy clay plant on a raised mound. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak once or twice a week through the first two summers, then step back as it becomes drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in late winter does more for flowering than anything applied later.

Pruning. Little is needed. Prune in winter while the tree is bare: take out crossing or inward growing branches, then shorten anything spoiling the rounded shape. Heavy summer pruning costs the next spring's flowers.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in a single size, a 300mm pot, and arrives as a young tree with a formed leader and the beginnings of a branch framework. Expect roughly 30 to 50cm of growth a year, and a proper flowering display from the second or third spring.

Being deciduous, a tree despatched in winter arrives bare or close to it. That is normal, and winter is the easiest time for a deciduous tree to travel. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing between evergreen and deciduous trees
• Browse the full ornamental tree range
• Plants that colour up in autumn
• Trees scaled for small gardens

Common questions

How big does it actually get?

About 4m tall and 3m wide at maturity, which puts it in the small tree bracket. It takes several years to get there, and light winter pruning holds it tighter if space is short.

Can I eat the fruit?

Yes, the small red crabapples are edible, but tart and firm rather than something to eat off the tree. Most people cook them into jelly, and the birds deal with what is left.

Will it flower in a warm climate?

It flowers reliably in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, where it gets enough winter chill. In subtropical and tropical gardens the display is unreliable, so choose a tree suited to those zones instead.