Crab apple ‘John Downie’

Malus ‘John Downie’

Small ornamental crab apple with white spring blossom and abundant orange-red conical fruits in autumn. Among the best crab apples for both eating and wildlife.

Hardiness ratings

Crab apple ‘John Downie’ hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −34.4 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H6 −20 °C to −15 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −29 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 2–6 −10 °C to 15 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Spring blossom is excellent pollinator forage
  • Persistent fruits through autumn and into winter feed blackbirds, thrushes and fieldfares
  • Fruit makes outstanding crab apple jelly — high pectin, good colour, sharp flavour
  • Reliable spring blossom and autumn fruit are dual seasonal markers

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Crab apple ‘John Downie’ against your zones

Reference

Crab apple ‘John Downie’ on Wikipedia