Crabapple 'Don Wymann'
It seems aging has few advantages unless you are an elderly crab apple tree with outstanding employee performance record. If that is the case, and your name is Malus ‘Don Wymans’, be proud of your lifetime achievement as a reliable and disease resistant performer!
The passing of multiple seasons can be the enemy for any weak crabapple selections. It can also be the tie breaker for the few tree cultivars who don’t fail every year, but instill uneasy feelings of “caretaker’s regret” at least every few years. For a special few crabapples, Time is a good friend, as it points to those who deserve our highest regard with the passing of years.
I myself have forged a fair weather friendship with this Steady Eddie of crabapple world, ‘Donald Wyman. He has made every day seem better and fairer than it would have been without him. Don has been employed near my residence for many years as shade reliever, bird feeder, and erosion controller. He has also taken on the added responsibility of providing a very handsome privacy screen.
His hardy and easy going nature impresses me annually. He offers a great flower display, consistent fruit production, and all without complaint. He retains his only slightly marred foliage all summer long as proof that he has met his disease and fungus foes, battled it out and won the right to remain steadfast in the landscape. (Many crabs are burdened with the embarrassment of diseased foliage. Frequently they completely defoliate. They drop their leaves to the ground in mid to late summer in an attempt to disclaim their disease ridden history ) Not Don, he holds on to them as an admission pass to Fall’s color parade. He is proud to wave his banner of amber gold.
He has earned my respect. He has demonstrated an awesome ability to ignore the ruined, sadly compacted, post construction clay soil that surrounds his roots. He bears the scars of poor pruning practices left by the well intentioned maintenance man. (I have since made amends to Don with a few apologetic re-pruning corrections and I am always looking for opportunities to share my conservationist views with anyone that appears determind to alter Don's ability to perform his assigned tasks. This is my attempt to protect him the best I can and also to thank him for being part of my everyday landscape)
I am glad he was somehow able to forgive the landscape installer who disregarded any Best Management Practices Guidelines for tree planting, including spacing. I have come into Don’s life too late to reverse the damage this has done, but at least he shows no”malus” or ill will toward the “oh no that’s too close” roof line and the crowding ash tree who also has also suffered from various forms of early childhood horticulture abuse. I find myself thankful to the long gone installer who made such a good choice-even if it was by chance.
You too may know Malus ‘Donald Wymann’. He is not a stranger to the St. Louis area. He is frequently an esteemed member of the landscape community in many of the more fortunate landscapes installed around 15-20 years ago. Recognized early because of his good health and work ethics, he can be traced back to when he was just a chance seedling discovered at the famous Arnold Arboretum. He was named after Donald Wyman who served as Arnold Arboretum horticulturist.
Be sure to look closely in less likely places as well. I doubt my Don is the only misplaced workhorse who deserves recognition for managing a tough job without at least minimum benefits! (by the way, he doesn’t seem to mind my affectionate shortening of his proper name).
Care Factor Rating: 2 This member of the apple family needs adequate drainage and surely will not thrive in soggy soils. He needs to be watered regularly till established and during excessively long drought periods.
He does not require pruning when given adequate space! His very small but very attractive cardinal red fruits persist, staying in place on the tree well into winter. They provide an extra season of interest that rivals and maybe surpasses the oohs and ahhs from onlookers gazing at the pretty peppermint candy color combination of rose colored buds and white blossoms.
It seems aging has few advantages unless you are an elderly crab apple tree with outstanding employee performance record. If that is the case, and your name is Malus ‘Don Wymans’, be proud of your lifetime achievement as a reliable and disease resistant performer!
The passing of multiple seasons can be the enemy for any weak crabapple selections. It can also be the tie breaker for the few tree cultivars who don’t fail every year, but instill uneasy feelings of “caretaker’s regret” at least every few years. For a special few crabapples, Time is a good friend, as it points to those who deserve our highest regard with the passing of years.
I myself have forged a fair weather friendship with this Steady Eddie of crabapple world, ‘Donald Wyman. He has made every day seem better and fairer than it would have been without him. Don has been employed near my residence for many years as shade reliever, bird feeder, and erosion controller. He has also taken on the added responsibility of providing a very handsome privacy screen.
His hardy and easy going nature impresses me annually. He offers a great flower display, consistent fruit production, and all without complaint. He retains his only slightly marred foliage all summer long as proof that he has met his disease and fungus foes, battled it out and won the right to remain steadfast in the landscape. (Many crabs are burdened with the embarrassment of diseased foliage. Frequently they completely defoliate. They drop their leaves to the ground in mid to late summer in an attempt to disclaim their disease ridden history ) Not Don, he holds on to them as an admission pass to Fall’s color parade. He is proud to wave his banner of amber gold.
He has earned my respect. He has demonstrated an awesome ability to ignore the ruined, sadly compacted, post construction clay soil that surrounds his roots. He bears the scars of poor pruning practices left by the well intentioned maintenance man. (I have since made amends to Don with a few apologetic re-pruning corrections and I am always looking for opportunities to share my conservationist views with anyone that appears determind to alter Don's ability to perform his assigned tasks. This is my attempt to protect him the best I can and also to thank him for being part of my everyday landscape)
I am glad he was somehow able to forgive the landscape installer who disregarded any Best Management Practices Guidelines for tree planting, including spacing. I have come into Don’s life too late to reverse the damage this has done, but at least he shows no”malus” or ill will toward the “oh no that’s too close” roof line and the crowding ash tree who also has also suffered from various forms of early childhood horticulture abuse. I find myself thankful to the long gone installer who made such a good choice-even if it was by chance.
You too may know Malus ‘Donald Wymann’. He is not a stranger to the St. Louis area. He is frequently an esteemed member of the landscape community in many of the more fortunate landscapes installed around 15-20 years ago. Recognized early because of his good health and work ethics, he can be traced back to when he was just a chance seedling discovered at the famous Arnold Arboretum. He was named after Donald Wyman who served as Arnold Arboretum horticulturist.
Be sure to look closely in less likely places as well. I doubt my Don is the only misplaced workhorse who deserves recognition for managing a tough job without at least minimum benefits! (by the way, he doesn’t seem to mind my affectionate shortening of his proper name).
Care Factor Rating: 2 This member of the apple family needs adequate drainage and surely will not thrive in soggy soils. He needs to be watered regularly till established and during excessively long drought periods.
He does not require pruning when given adequate space! His very small but very attractive cardinal red fruits persist, staying in place on the tree well into winter. They provide an extra season of interest that rivals and maybe surpasses the oohs and ahhs from onlookers gazing at the pretty peppermint candy color combination of rose colored buds and white blossoms.
The fruit is reliably heavy each year, offering an extended period of striking color from fall till winter. These tiny apples are a mainstay for many song birds. This tree truly provides “cheep” entertainment, as long as the fruit lasts!
Watersprouts (Suckering at the base) is not a major problem with this cultivar of crabapple. Should sprouts appear, remove using a small hand pruner or pruning saw. Be careful not to injure the trunk / bark. No chemical control for sprouting is needed. Sprouts should be removed if and when they appear. Check for rubbing-crossing branches and remove these as blooming ends mid-late spring but before June. Dead or damaged branches can be removed any time of the year. There are reports that minimized pruning contributes to the heath of the tree and may also decrease stress and disease factors.
Additional information: Malus 'Donald Wyman'
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