Decorative apple trees are a real decoration for any garden plot. During flowering, they look very beautiful and fill the air with a pleasant aroma. Such trees are usually grown not for tasty fruits, but for wonderful flowers. Of course, such plants also bear fruit, but their apples are small in size and often unsuitable for consumption. There are decorative apple trees of different varieties. And it is sometimes difficult for novice gardeners to make a choice in favor of a specific variety. Therefore, this article will discuss the most popular types of ornamental fruit-bearing plants.

The well-known paradise, wild apple, small-fruited Chinese, crab, ranetka - all these are apple trees of a decorative appearance. They are truly extraordinarily beautiful, and look attractive all year round. Their fruits are red or yellow. The size is small. For example, crab fruits do not exceed 5 centimeters in diameter. Their taste is sweet and sour. Of course, they are not eaten raw. But many people make jelly, jam, and wine from such small apples.

This variety was created on the basis of several types of wild apple trees. Most modern types of ornamental fruit trees are based on varieties that naturally grow in different regions of the planet:

The main advantages of ornamental fruit plants are:

• Frost resistance.
• Drought resistance.
• Possibility of growing in unfavorable conditions. For example, with a high degree of environmental pollution.

Which variety of ornamental apple tree to choose?

There are many types and subspecies of ornamental apple trees.

By choosing the most suitable and favorite varieties, you can create beautiful landscapes that from early spring to mid-summer will delight the gardener’s eye with their lush flowering and magnificent aroma. To make the right choice, a number of points should be taken into account.

Namely:

1. The flowering period of one variety lasts 10-15 days.
2. Different trees have different colors of leaves and flowers.
3. There are varieties of apple trees that tend to take a long time to form buds. And this increases the flowering period.
4. A wonderful combination is obtained when trees with snow-white buds are planted next to plants with carmine flowers.

Siberian

Today, the Siberian apple tree is one of the most popular ornamental crops. China is considered its homeland. Under natural conditions it grows in Siberia. And as a garden decoration, it is grown almost everywhere. In spring it blooms and looks like a small white and pink cloud. In autumn it is covered with many small apples that resemble bright beads.

The tree grows to a maximum of 5 meters. The crown is usually umbrella-shaped or round. The leaves are smooth, elongated with a pointed end. The tree begins to bloom in May. The period lasts two weeks. The berry apple tree belongs to the early ripening species. A few years after planting, it begins to bear fruit. But such fruits are not suitable for food.

Weeping

In nature, the weeping apple tree is found everywhere. With good care it grows to a maximum of 12 meters. The branches are long and flexible. During flowering, they bend to the ground under the weight of foliage and fruits. That’s why the tree got the name “Weeping”. The fruits are small in size and yellow in color. Thanks to its dense bark, the plant is not afraid of severe frosts.

Nedzvetsky

But the Nedzvetsky apple tree was bred using a hybrid method. Its distinctive characteristics are high consumer qualities. In appearance, it is a small bush with a wide, dense crown. The plant grows up to 5.5 meters. The crown is spreading and sometimes occupies 5-6 meters. During flowering, beautiful purple buds appear.

Red-leaved

The exquisite red-leaved apple tree is a hybrid variety. Among its advantages, gardeners highlight the following: high resistance to adverse conditions, immunity to scab and other diseases that are characteristic of apple crops.

It grows in the form of a bush, the height of which does not exceed 4 meters. The leaves are red when they appear, but over time they change to emerald green. The inflorescences are snow-white in color. And the ripe fruits are deep burgundy.

Royalty

If a gardener wants to grow a beautiful and unpretentious crop, then the Royalty ornamental apple tree is the best solution. The tree is characterized by slow growth and development. Tolerates frosts and harsh winters well. But it is very demanding on the composition of the soil. It especially does not like stagnant moisture.

It grows in the form of a bush, the height of which reaches 5 meters. The leaves are narrow and glossy. Their color is quite unusual - purple. But as autumn approaches, the colors change. The leaves become deep red.

It is important to remember that the Royalty apple tree produces inedible fruit. They cannot be used in any form. Otherwise, acute food poisoning cannot be avoided. Experts do not advise families with small children to choose this crop.

Chinese

But the Chinese apple tree produces quite edible fruit. Many housewives use them to make compotes and jam. So China can be called a full-fledged fruit tree. The variety is wild. It takes root perfectly even in the northern regions. Grows in the form of a tree. Reaches a height of 10 meters. Emerald foliage. The inflorescences are boiling white. During blooming, the effect of abundant foam is achieved.

There are subspecies of Chinese. The most famous of them:

• Chinese Kerr.
• Dark red Chinese apple tree.
• Golden early.
• Bellefleur is Chinese.

Among all the varieties, the Chinese Golden Early apple tree is the most popular. It does not differ in high winter hardiness. But it has a lot of other advantages. This is an early ripening variety. After planting, the crop begins to bear fruit within a few years. The plant is characterized by a weeping crown. The fruits are mainly located at the ends of the branches.

The Golden Chinese apple tree produces fruits whose size reaches 7 centimeters and an average weight of 30 grams. The skin is yellow. The taste of the fruit is very pleasant, has a sourish tint. The disadvantage is that the harvest is not stored for long - no more than 7 days. It is also worth noting that apples fall off when ripe. The fruits are considered very healthy. They are rich in microelements, amino acids and vitamins. Therefore, they are often consumed raw. Many also preserve, make preserves, marmalades, jams, jellies, and marshmallows. Often used for making wines and juices. So this variety is simply irreplaceable in cooking.

The condition of the plant must be constantly monitored. Since the Chinese Golden apple tree is susceptible to scab. In general, the yield of this variety is low. In addition, there is a periodicity of fruiting. However, there are also obvious advantages: the apples taste good, the fruits ripen early, and the plant is frost-resistant.

For many gardeners, the Chinese Kerr apple tree is also a worthy choice. The variety is resistant to various diseases and tolerates drought and frost well. The tree begins to produce a bountiful harvest from 4 years after planting. The plant is low growing. Blooms with large, bright pink buds. The apples are slightly elongated, burgundy in color. The taste is very interesting: sweet with a slight sourness, tart. The fruits are rich in vitamins P and C. Therefore, they are healthy to eat. The value of this variety is that the apples do not fall off before picking. The only drawback is that the fruit ripens later.

Bellefleur-Chinese

Today, the Bellefleur Chinese apple tree is found on the plots of many gardeners. This is a tall tree with a rounded and thickened crown that needs to be shaped. The fruits are slightly elongated in shape and have mild ribbing. Their color is yellow with a striped pink blush. They taste aromatic, sweet and sour. Productivity is low, it begins 8 years after planting and peaks at the 20th year of the plant’s life.

The apples are quite large for ornamental species. Some managed to grow fruits weighing 500-600 grams. The harvest can be stored for up to 2 months. Of course, this subspecies cannot be called the best among the Chinese species. The plant is heat-loving and prone to various diseases. However, due to the excellent taste of the fruit, Bellefleur is highly valued by gardeners.

Melba

Melba is a creeping summer-ripening apple tree. It produces fruits that are white with a red tint and reach a weight of 80-100 grams. The harvest is stored for about a month. The tree begins to bear fruit several years after planting. Productivity is average. The crop is prone to scab infection.

How to care for ornamental apple trees?

Ornamental varieties of apple trees grow well in moderately fertile soil.

The main thing is that the soil retains moisture well. Wild varieties are valued for their unpretentiousness. They can develop quite successfully both in sunny places and in the shade.

For planting, you need to use good garden soil with the addition of leaf humus and manure. First, the hole is filled to the top with water. Afterwards, the seedling is installed and a support next to it. The roots are sprinkled with soil and the soil is compacted if necessary. The seedling is tied to a support. Once a year, the apple tree should be fertilized and mulched. In the spring, pruning is carried out if necessary.

If you want to have an orchard, but the plot is small, use the trellis method of growing trees. All espaliered apple trees are formed in a special way and wallpaper is attached to the base. In such trees, the shape of the crown is very different from the natural one. It is small in size and grows in width only on one side.

To ensure proper formation of trees, support pillars are installed along the fence or wall. Wallpaper is fixed to them, which consists of 2 rows of reinforcement (wire). Low-growing and medium-growing varieties are suitable for planting.
In order for the harvest to be rich, the plants need additional care: apply a large amount of fertilizer, carry out timely pruning, and fasten the branches vertically in accordance with the wallpaper base. When planted tightly, an apple tree on a trellis looks like one continuous green fruit fence.

Thus, not all varieties of apple trees are grown to produce a rich harvest of healthy fruits. There are special varieties - decorative ones, which serve more as decoration for the garden plot. Not all of these trees have fruits suitable for human consumption. There are even poisonous ones. However, there are crops that produce small apples, but they are very healthy and tasty. To choose the right variety, you need to know the characteristics of each species and be able to understand the subspecies. Some people plant several trees located close to each other. Others prefer the trellis method and form a beautiful fruit fence from plants. Check out the article: .

Ornamental fruit trees are becoming increasingly common in Russia. Beautiful flowering plants decorate summer cottages and garden plots and add originality to front gardens and house facades.

Decorative apple trees occupy a special place in the design of parks, alleys, gardens, and administrative territories. Unpretentiousness in care, luxury of flowering, picturesque appearance of fruits and delicate fragrance explain the growing popularity of these trees in landscape design.

Description of the red-leaved apple tree

The apple tree is a popular garden tree that is grown not only for its healthy and tasty fruits. As a result of breeding work, decorative species have been developed that perfectly decorate gardens and personal plots. The varieties of red-leafed ornamental apple trees are especially chic, bringing life to the landscape of parks and gardens.

An apple tree with red leaves will look spectacular on a bright green lawn or against a wall. It will also harmoniously fit into the composition with other ornamental plants in the garden, both trees and shrubs.

The fruits of the decorative apple tree are suitable for creating bouquets, floral and plant arrangements. The nutritional quality of the fruit is low, so ornamental apples have not found wide use in cooking. Although they can be used to decorate dishes and prepare confitures, jams, and compotes.

Use in landscape design

Using red-leaved apple trees in garden design, it is easy to create a corner or an entire garden in the Japanese style. The lush, delicate pink blossoms of red-leaved apple trees in the spring are not inferior in grace to the blossoms of the famous sakura. Japanese azaleas, rhododendrons, and decorative types of bamboo will complement the composition.

A combination of red-leaved apple and beech trees will help to decorate the landscape in a European style; planting lilies, geraniums, and ground cover roses at the foot of the trees will complete the composition.

Special sophistication The landscape will be enhanced by tulips planted between herbaceous perennials and blooming at the same time as the apple tree.

Ornamental apple trees not only decorate the landscape, but are also effective pollinators. If fruit apple trees grow next to ornamental ones, then the yield of fruit trees will be high as a result of good pollination.

Red-leaved varieties are mainly hybrids bred from the Niedzwiecki apple tree.

Niedzvetsky apple tree

Niedzvetsky apple tree- decorative apple tree with red leaves. In the wild, the original species is endangered and is found in Central Asia. Description of the variety:

• The height of the tree is 2−6 meters.
• A distinctive feature is the presence of red pigment (anthocyanin) in all plant cells: seeds, foliage, flowers, pulp and skin of fruits, bark and even wood, which also has a reddish tint.
• The trunks of young trees and the branches of mature plants are dark purple in color.
• The leaves are oval, 8 cm long and 4 cm wide. Young foliage has pubescence, which also covers the petioles. Subsequently, the edge is retained only on the petioles. The color of the leaves is dense green with a red tint, sometimes dark purple with a purple tint. The leaf petioles are crimson.
• The crown is spherical.
• Large flowers with a diameter of up to 5 cm grow on white stalks. Dark purple buds open to form flowers with bright pink, raspberry and purple petals.
• Flowering period - 2 weeks in the second half of May. Trees begin to bloom in the 5th year of life.
• The fruits are apples of paradise, they can be small or large, weighing up to 200 grams, the spherical shape tapers slightly towards the top. The skin of the apple is dark purple-red and covered with a waxy coating. The flesh of the fruit is sweet, pink with a purple tint, and very dense.

Tree undemanding to soil, but growth in nutrient-rich soil will be more successful. Groundwater located close to the surface shortens the life of the plant. The method of reproduction is grafting. They are transplanted into the nursery in the third year after grafting. Grows well in the south and southwest of Russia.

In central Russia it is cold for the Nedzvetsky variety. But on its basis, hybrids have been bred that perfectly tolerate frosts of the temperate climate zone and have retained the decorative advantages of the original plant.

• Royalty.
• Royal Bewley.
• Rudolf.
• Makovetsky.

Variety "Royalty". The decorative apple tree “Royalty”, even among the red-leaved varieties, stands out for its original foliage. The leaf blades of the tree are shiny and of such a rich dark red color that they seem almost purple. Flowering is lush and abundant, begins in May and covers the first week of June. The flowers have pink-red petals that densely cover the crown.

"Royalty" reaches a height of 4-5 meters, has a short trunk with a crown with a diameter of about 4 meters. The tree will have the characteristic leaf color of the variety only if it grows in a sunny area with some shade. The soil should be fertile and moderately moist, although the plant can easily tolerate prolonged drought. Pruning is recommended to maintain the shape of the crown. The tree grows slowly, bears fruit with small red apples, and is frost-resistant.

The “weak points” of the variety include susceptibility to infection by diseases and pests: scab, powdery mildew and late blight.

The plant withstands industrial air pollution, so it is often used for landscaping city squares, parks, squares, and courtyards. The tree looks great alone or in a group with other ornamental plants.

Variety "Ola". Large flowers up to 4 cm in diameter have pink or pink-red petals. Lush flowering occurs in May. The height of the tree reaches 4-5 meters, the crown is round. Spring leaves have a light red color; in the summer season the foliage acquires a slight shine and green color. In winter and autumn, the decorative appearance of the plant is maintained thanks to the many red fruits that remain on the branches of the tree.

Ornamental apple trees of the “Ola” variety grow well on medium-fertile soils, which is explained by their undemanding nature in terms of soil composition. The tree calmly tolerates the gas pollution of the urban atmosphere and is little susceptible to scab infection, so the variety is readily grown in the parks of megacities. When composing a landscape composition, designers usually place the red-leaved apple tree “Ola” in the center of the plant ensemble.

Variety "Royal Beauty". A tree 3-4 meters high has high decorative qualities:

Red-leaved apple tree "Royal Beauty" is a low weeping apple tree, therefore suitable for small cozy gardens. The variety has an advantage over other weeping trees due to its frost resistance.

It is recommended to choose a planting site in a sunny area with sandy soil rich in minerals. During the flowering period, the apple tree does not tolerate a lack of moisture; during the rest of the growing season, the tree is not sensitive to the degree of soil moisture.

Exceptional decorative qualities And small sizes allow you to plant a tree separately from other plants in the garden. The apple tree itself is beautiful even outside of compositions. However, a plant ensemble of an apple tree with other dwarf trees and shrubs will be no less impressive.

Variety "Rudolph". Bred by Canadian breeders. Young plants have a pyramid-shaped crown; with age, the tree crown becomes spreading. The height of the apple tree is about 6 meters. The leaves are brown with a red tint in spring, then turn brown-green. The buds are red, the blooming flowers have pink-red petals.

Fruiting is abundant, decorative apples ripen red-orange. The tree loves sunny places, fertile and well-drained soil. The "Rudolph" variety enriches the landscape design of parks, gardens, and personal plots.

Variety "Makovetsky". The height of the tree is about 5 meters. Semicircular, dense crown of almost spherical shape. Red leaves, pink lush flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. The tree has high frost resistance.

Red-leaved ornamental apple trees in landscape design are a great opportunity to enrich the palette of gardens and parks. Rich flowering, frost resistance, and bright foliage color explain the constant popularity of trees among gardeners.

– apples of paradise – apple trees with small decorative fruits that make excellent jam. In our gardens, hybrids and varieties of domestic apple trees with Chinese, Siberian, Ranetka and other apple trees are most often found.

Apple tree "Evereste"

During flowering (which lasts about 2 weeks), it is impossible to take your eyes off the apple tree, and the aroma from the white or pink flowers is simply dizzying. And when the fruits are formed, the trees are no less decorative. Apples on many varieties remain hanging until mid-winter, providing food for birds. Decorative apple trees reach a height of 3 to 10 meters depending on the variety, but can be easily shaped by pruning.

Chinese plum apple tree(Malusprunifolia), which comes from China, gets its name from its leaf shape, which resembles that of the Chinese plum tree. These are tall, unpretentious, drought-resistant trees (up to 10 m) with abundant fruiting even after harsh winters. In addition, they bloom very beautifully and profusely. Breeders have developed many forms with different sizes, crown shapes and fruit colors. The most common varieties are “Kitayka apricot” and “Kitayka Saninskaya”.

There are well-known frost-resistant varieties bred by Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin: “Dessert Chinese”, “Aniseed Chinese” and “Early golden Chinese”.

In the gardens of the Moscow region you can find winter-hardy Canadian variety "Kerr" with a good crown that does not require formative pruning. The variety has beautiful, non-shattering dark red fruits that can be used to decorate the New Year's table. Apples are delicious both fresh and in preparations: compotes, preserves, jams, marmalade, juices, wine, cider.

Quite often you can find them on sale now. variety "Royalty" with pink flowers and purple fruits up to 2 cm in diameter. Only the blossoming leaves with a purple tint are very beautiful in this variety.

Variety "Ola" Delights with bronze-red foliage, pink flowers and pink-purple apples.

Extraordinarily beautiful Niedzwiedzki apple tree during flowering: the buds are red-violet, and the flowers are bright raspberry-purple. The apples of this apple tree are dark red-violet and up to 2 cm in diameter.

Variety "Transitional" the latest blooming has creamy white flowers and yellow apples with a reddish side.

Scab resistant variety "Long", brought from the USA, will annually delight you with an abundance of bright red small apples.

The most frost-resistant ornamental apple trees are apple tree varieties th (Malusbaccata), Siberian. They can withstand frosts down to -50 degrees. But the fruits of the varieties are very small, like currants, yellow, red and orange. All varieties are simply amazing when flowering. U varieties "Hopa" the flowers are purple-pink with a lilac tint, while the variety “StreetParade” has pink buds and white flowers.

Highly winter-hardy, medium-sized ranetki apple trees were obtained by crossing Siberian apple trees with large-fruited varieties. The most famous are “Ranetka Ermolaeva” and “Ranetka purple”.

Good winter-hardy, well-fruiting varieties have been bred from crossing Ranetki with domestic apple varieties (“Melba”, “Papirovka”, “Pepin saffron”, etc.): “Winter Saffron”, “Altai Dove”, “Scarlet Flower”, “Malinka”, etc. .

Location, soil

Ornamental apple trees grow well in sunny or semi-shaded places. In the lowlands, where cold air accumulates, they can freeze in the first years. Groundwater on the site should be located no higher than 2 meters to the soil level.

The soil for ornamental apple trees is prepared in the same way as for ordinary ones. Recommended composition: garden soil, peat, humus (compost), sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:0.5. For one tree, 100-120 g of any granular complex fertilizer is added to this mixture.

Landing

Ornamental apple trees with an open root system in the Moscow region are recommended to be planted in the spring: March-April or in the fall: from September 15 to October 10-15. Before planting, seedlings are soaked for 6-12 hours in a solution of any root stimulant (, humate, etc.), or you can use folk remedies. Before planting, you need to carefully examine the roots: broken and diseased ones are cut off to healthy tissue, and the sections are sprinkled with charcoal. Plant the apple tree in pre-prepared soil. The pit for planting is prepared in advance, at least 2 weeks in advance. When planting in spring, it is better to dig a hole in the fall. The recommended size of the planting hole is 50x60 cm. Please note that the soil will settle a little after planting, pulling the seedling with it. Therefore, we plant the apple tree so that the root collar (who doesn’t know what it is, look at it) is 4-5 cm above ground level, making a mound of soil. The roots need to be carefully straightened and completely covered with soil, compacting it. After planting, water the seedling thoroughly; you can use the root stimulator solution in which the apple tree was soaked, diluting it with water. Then the soil will definitely be added.

If an ornamental apple tree is purchased in a container, then it can be planted throughout the entire gardening period. Before planting, the container with the seedling should also be soaked in a solution of any stimulant or simply in water until air bubbles appear on the surface of the water (about 20-30 minutes).

Care

Ornamental apple trees, although they are less demanding on growing conditions than garden apple trees, require mandatory watering in dry summers. (2-3 buckets per tree).

Application in landscape design

The decorative apple tree looks great as a tapeworm on the lawn. However, ornamental apple trees can be used to form a hedge.

They will decorate any garden with their luxurious blooms and bright colors of fallen leaves. Apple trees are beautiful trees: a lush crown, dwarf fruits, glowing among the lush green foliage.

Description of ornamental apple trees

This crop 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 the crown is not formed, it will be 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 be pastel or brown.

When choosing varieties of ornamental 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 off for a long time in the fall, thanks to which designers have the opportunity to create magnificent landscapes, even if the soil composition is poor and the weather conditions are unfavorable. However, the main foliage color of ornamental apple trees is green. With the onset of autumn it changes to yellow and red. The leaves have the shape of an ellipse or plum, their length is 10 cm.

During flowering, the crown is strewn with numerous flowers with a 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. The fruits are formed immediately after flowering, at first they are green, then yellow or red.

Features of cultivation

Ornamental apple trees have an amazing property: they do not respond to unfavorable factors that the environment presents from time to time. The culture is frost-resistant, grows in regions with cold climates, and is also not afraid of drought, growing on saline soils, in a polluted environment and in the conditions of modern cities.

Ornamental apple trees are grown in areas illuminated by sunlight. Here they will not lose their decorative properties and will decorate the garden at any time of the year. Apple trees grow poorly in areas even with light partial shade, and they cannot tolerate shade at all. It is unlikely that in such conditions they will delight with abundant flowering and fruiting.

What soils do they grow on?

Apple trees do not have any special requirements for soil, but they have their own preferences: fertile, fresh soil. They grow in any conditions, but overly moist, dry, sandy, swampy and rocky soils are not desirable for them. These ornamental plants are attractive even when grown in poor soils.

Landing

The procedure is almost the same as for most woody plants in the garden. It is better to plant ornamental apple trees in the spring, before the buds open. But this can also be done in the autumn; planting occurs in September or early October. Seedlings of four years of life are planted in spring and autumn, adult plants - only before the onset of winter. It is especially important what 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 space is left equal to the diameter of the crown of an adult tree, approximately five to six meters. The distance between apple trees and neighboring crops should be two to three meters.

Holes 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 hole is replaced with another, prepared independently: leaf soil from the garden, sand and humus are mixed in a ratio of 1: 2: 3 parts. Mineral fertilizer is added to the resulting mixture in an amount of 250-300 g. Without soil improvement, apple trees take a long time to take root. The root collar should not be covered with soil; it should be above its surface.

How is the crown formed?

This is usually done during pruning. There are many types of crowns according to their shape: weeping, tiered, improved, cordon, palmette and others. Regardless of the time of planting: spring or autumn, formation is done next year, as soon as spring comes, but the buds have not yet bloomed. This time falls in April, its beginning.

In the spring, a strong shoot stands out on the seedling, growing in a vertical direction. Three or four branches are selected from it, spaced evenly along the trunk, and cut to the same height. When forming a crown, you need to place the branches at a sufficiently large distance from one another, and the central one should be higher than the rest. The following year, in March, the selected branches are shortened at the level of strong outer buds. Shoots that may compete are removed. In subsequent years, several new branches are selected and formed in the same way.

Some ornamental apple trees are shaped like weeping trees. To give the crown this shape, the apple tree needs to be grafted onto a standard at a level of one and a half meters from the ground. After three to four years, the branches will hang to the ground surface. Subsequently, they need to be trimmed regularly so that the crown is beautiful and transparent.

How to care for a tree?

An ornamental apple tree requires appropriate care. This crop grows best in fertile, well-drained soils and requires moderate watering, but does not tolerate stagnant water. The soil in the tree trunk circles should be mulched with crushed conifer bark, nut shells, sawdust, and peat. This will retain moisture in the soil and 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, since delicious apples attract, especially children. In addition, birds feed on them. To prevent anyone from getting poisoned, it is better to control pests with chemicals before the onset of the growing season.

Apple trees are affected by diseases such as powdery mildew and scab. In addition, trees are infected by bacteria that cause burns. In this case, such specimens must be destroyed, since the disease can quickly spread to other trees.

In the climatic conditions of our country, this species is the most common. Experienced gardeners believe that the Niedzwiecki apple tree has no 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. This makes the crown look even more rounded, which gives the whole tree a cozy appearance. During abundant flowering, the tree is covered with purple buds, and during the fruiting period - with crimson apples four centimeters in diameter. The only disadvantage of the Niedzvetsky apple tree is damage in severe frosts.

Weeping apple tree

This variety has another name - “riverside”. The apple tree is distributed mainly in North America, but it grows well here too. It is not afraid of severe frosts and can easily withstand them due to the large thickness of its bark. If you provide good care, its height reaches 12 meters. It got its name because of its flexible branches, which bend down to the ground under the weight of numerous fruits and leaves.

red leaf apple tree

This is a hybrid crop, therefore it is able to withstand conditions that are called unfavorable. Another advantage is resistance to diseases such as scab and other lesions characteristic of this species.

The decorative red-leaved apple tree reaches a height of four meters. The crown is lush and wide. Its diameter is three meters. This is an amazing plant. The leaves are purple at first, and when the red fruits ripen, they turn emerald. It withstands frosts without being damaged.

Siberian

Today it is the most popular decorative crop. The homeland of the apple tree is China. In the wild, the place of growth is Siberia. It is grown everywhere to decorate the landscape. Flowering occurs in spring. At this time, the crown of the tree looks like a cloud of white and pink. Apples, like beads, ripen in the fall. The tree has an average height of approximately 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 ripen quickly, but are not suitable for eating.

Royalty

This variety of apple tree is characterized by slow growth. It takes 8-10 years for a tree to become an adult. After this, its height reaches five meters. The crown is wide, four meters in diameter. The Royalty apple tree has unusual leaves. They are narrow, glossy and purple in color. In autumn, the leaves turn red, but their brightness and attractiveness remain. The Royalty apple tree is resistant to frost, but does not tolerate stagnant moisture in the soil.

Robin

The apple tree grows in the form of a low bush, shaped like an oval. The crown of the plant is wide and dense. This variety is distinguished by the color of its buds: they are red, rich, attractive even before blooming. During the flowering period, the bush is covered with numerous flowers with a raspberry scent, hence the name.

Lesnaya

The modest apple tree is native to Europe. The tree can grow up to three meters, but its height can be 10 m. The crown is spreading, the leaves are wide, ovoid in shape. The flowers are four to five centimeters in diameter and are white or pink. The fruits, 4-5 cm in diameter, are spherical in shape, yellowish-green in color with a pink blush. The apples are edible, but slightly sour.

Melba

The apple tree is a creeping variety. The fruits are edible and ripen in the summer. They are white in color with a hint of red. Large enough for decorative fruit trees, the weight of one apple is 80-100 g. Storage is average in duration - one month.

Chinese

This type of apple tree has tasty fruits. They are used to make compotes and jam. The Chinese apple tree is adapted to growing in the Russian climate, including in the northern regions. Refers to wild varieties with rapid growth. Over the course of a year it adds 20-30 cm and can reach 10 meters in height. The Chinese apple tree is decorative: the branches are hidden behind pleasant emerald leaves, and during the flowering period - 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 is not distinguished by high frost resistance, but has other undeniable advantages: it ripens early, fruiting occurs quickly, and there is no need to wait five to eight years. The crown is weeping, the 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 do not last long, only seven days, and fall off when ripe. The fruits are high in vitamins, microelements, and amino acids, so they are consumed fresh. In addition, they are used for making jams, jams, marmalades, and jellies. Juices and wine are made from them.

Bellefleur-Chinese

A popular variety that can often be found in garden plots. The tree is tall, the crown is dense, and therefore needs shaping. The fruits are edible and large enough for an ornamental breed; individual specimens weigh 500-600 g. They are colored yellow with a pink tint in the form of stripes. They have a sweet and sour taste, a pleasant aroma, and are stored for a long time, two months. The apple tree begins to bear fruit after eight years of life, the yield is small.

Decorative apple trees

Everyone knows the apple tree as a wonderful fruit crop, but now decorative species have become widespread, especially for decorating streets and squares in cities and towns. But you can plant 1-2 ornamental apple trees at your dacha or on your garden plot to decorate your plot.

The Caucasus and Central Asia are considered the homeland of the apple tree. The wild apple tree grows wild throughout Europe. The Siberian berry apple tree grows wild in Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The apple tree belongs to the Rosaceae family. The apple tree genus has about 50 species. These are deciduous trees up to 10 m high or bushy plants up to 3 m in height. To obtain fruits, large-fruited varieties are grown, and for decorative purposes, small-fruited species are used, known to us from childhood under the name- Ranetka. Decorative types of apple trees in the spring present a fabulous picture, when many simple, semi-double and double flowers bloom in pink, burgundy and red shades with a wonderful delicate aroma! And before flowering, the buds are painted an even more intense color. Some apple trees attract attention with the spectacular color of their leaves during the summer growing season, while others- during the autumn period. The fruits of some types of ornamental apple trees can be used to make jelly and compotes; small apples of other types are food for birds in autumn and winter.

Our streets, parks and cottages can be decorated with the following types of apple trees.

Apple tree berry, or Siberian - a medium-sized tree 3-5 m tall with small fragrant white flowers and small red or yellow fruits. It was widely used by I.V. Michurin in his work on breeding new varieties.

Blood red hybrid apple tree - a shrub-type tree up to 10 m high with a tree-like appearance and a beautiful drooping, widely spread crown and shiny green foliage. Blooms profusely in early spring, the flowers are large, simple, fragrant, dark carmine in buds, light pink when blooming. The fruits are about 1 cm in diameter, red or reddish-yellow.

Crown apple tree - a low tree up to 5 m high, maintaining a decorative appearance throughout the growing season. The flowers bloom in May-early June, large, semi-double or double with a pleasant violet scent, light pink. The leaves are green, gradually turning intense red in autumn. Produces many greenish-yellow fruits up to 4 cm in diameter.

Niedzvetsky apple tree originally from the mountainous regions of the Tien Shan. A very decorative tree, 5-7 m high, with a rounded tent-shaped crown. The leaves are obovate or elliptical in different shades of red. The flowers are pink-purple. The fruits are small with reddish flesh.

Niedzvetsky apple tree

Scheidecker hybrid apple tree - low trees with a narrow crown and oval leaves. They are very decorative when covered with a mass of pink fruits. The fruits are small, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, yellow.

Squat apple tree - a large shrub or small tree with a sparse crown, flowers are simple or semi-double, purple-red, fruits are dark red, small, up to 1.5 cm in diameter. In spring and early summer the leaves are reddish-green, and in the second half of summer they become bronze-green.

Globular apple tree - low trees, green foliage. The crown is spherical, dense, and forms naturally.

It consists of small branches with a large number of lateral buds, which leads to the formation of lateral shoots and a rounded crown shape.

Red-petalled apple tree - tree 3-5 m high, with a crown in the form of a wide, dense umbrella. The shoots grow arcuately to the sides, then obliquely downwards. The shoots and leaves are reddish, especially in the first half of summer. Flowering is abundant and later, after the garden apple tree has finished flowering. The flowers are small, intensely crimson. The fruits are very small, burgundy.

Hybrid purple apple tree - a hybrid between Niedzwiecki and blood red apple trees. There are a large number of varieties of purple apple trees up to 4-5 m in height. Depending on the variety, the flowers can be from soft pink to dark burgundy, double or simple, and can completely cover the entire tree. In favorable weather, flowering can last up to two weeks. Young leaves and shoots are burgundy. In some varieties, the leaves become completely green over time, while in others they remain purple or reddish throughout the summer. The fruits are small, purple-red.

All these types of ornamental apple trees are winter-hardy, can withstand our climate and are worthy of the widest use in landscaping.

Agricultural technology for growing ornamental apple trees is the same as for fruit trees. Planting of seedlings can be done in spring and autumn. It is better to prepare a hole for seedlings 2-3 weeks before planting. It is not worth planting apple trees in areas with close groundwater, no matter how hard you try, there will not be a good result. In areas where the groundwater depth is no closer than 1.5 m, planting pits are prepared with a width of 100 and a depth of 60 cm. The top layer of soil removed from the pit is mixed with mineral fertilizers, humus and peat are added. We drive a stake into the prepared planting hole in the center and pour the prepared soil around it in a mound. We place the seedling on a mound, straighten the roots and cover it with earth, while shaking the seedling a little so that the earth fills all the spaces between the roots. We compact the earth. The root collar should be at soil level, and the soil level above the hole should be 4-5 cm higher than the surrounding level (over the course of a year, the soil will settle by this amount). Be sure to water the planted tree, 2-3 buckets per plant. The seedling must be tied to a peg with a figure eight loop. For the winter, the trees should be tied with coniferous spruce branches to protect them from rodents and frost and covered with snow. In winter and spring, apple trees often suffer from burns and frost damage. To prevent burns, it is recommended to whitewash wood in the fall or early spring with lime. In subsequent years, decorative apple trees should be fed with mineral fertilizers and organic matter, watered and the crown trimmed to give shape.

VARIETIES OF DECORATIVE APPLE TREE,

FIRST INCLUDED IN THE STATE REGISTER OF BREEDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2014

Garnet bracelet - The tree is columnar, medium-sized. The leaf is long, green with anthocyanin coloring. The shoots are red-brown. The flowers are flat, simple, large, 5 pieces per inflorescence, open arrangement. The petals are oval in shape. The buds are red, the flowers are light purple. The aroma is strong. Flowering is abundant. The fruits are small, red, round, the flesh is red.

Carmelita - The tree is columnar, low-growing. The leaf is medium long, dark green with anthocyanin coloring. The shoots are red-brown. The flowers are large, round, flat, non-double, 5 pieces in an inflorescence, the arrangement of flowers is open. The petals are oval in shape. The buds are purple, the flowers are pink-red. The aroma is strong. Flowering is medium abundant. The fruits are small, flat-round, dark lilac, red flesh, long-lasting on the tree, decorative.

Raspberry Necklace - The tree is columnar, low-growing. The leaf is medium long, dark green with a reddish-brown tint. The shoots are brown. The flowers are round, flat, simple, 5 pieces in an inflorescence, the arrangement of flowers is open. Petals are rounded. The buds are light pink, the flowers are red-purple, the aroma is strong. Flowering is abundant. The fruits are small, round, light red, pink flesh.

Alluring aroma - The tree is columnar and tall. The leaf is medium long, green with anthocyanin coloring. The shoots are brown. The flowers are round, flat, large, simple, 5 pieces per inflorescence, open arrangement. The petals are oval. The buds are light pink, the flowers are red-purple. The aroma is strong. Flowering is abundant. The fruits are small, round, red, slightly glossy, decorative, pink flesh, decorative.

Pink fairy tale - The tree is columnar, vigorous. The leaf is medium length, dark green, matte. The shoot is red-brown. The flower is slightly cup-shaped, simple, large, 5 pieces per inflorescence, open arrangement. Oval petal. The bud is red, the flower is purple. The aroma is strong. Flowering is medium abundant. The fruits are small, round, with a pronounced glossy shine, red, pink flesh. The state of preservation on the tree is average.

E. F. Alekseyuk

From the editor. Some varieties of ornamental apple trees can freeze slightly in our conditions. Thus, when tested in the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, the hybrid blood-red apple tree ripened by 90%, and the hybrid Scheidecker apple tree- by 75%. Accordingly, their winter hardiness is low

Decorative apple trees

The apple tree not only serves as a source of tasty, aromatic and healthy fruits, but is also a magnificent ornamental plant. Most species and varieties used for these purposes are relatively not tall, rarely exceeding 4-5 m. Their crowns are usually proportional, and the leaves are glossy. The flowers of ornamental apple trees are usually dark red or pink, less often white, depending on their color in wild parent species and forms. The fruits are small, numerous, often dark red or yellow with a red blush (photo 1). Such trees are decorative until late autumn, until leaf fall. They are especially good for landscaping small gardens; they are most attractive when planted alone or in small groups. These apple trees perfectly serve as focal plants against the backdrop of a lawn or larger ornamental trees. In addition, their fruits can also be eaten, especially since the yield of such varieties is usually very high. The only thing is that their fruits are more often used in processed form, since, usually, they are not as tasty as those of large-fruited garden apple trees. Caring for ornamental apple trees is standard, the same as for fruit varieties.

One of the first trees to be used for decorative purposes was the Siberian or berry apple tree. Another name for it is Siberian crab (Malus baccata (L.) Borkh). Homeland - Transbaikalia, River Valley Angara, Buryatia. It is very beautiful and decorative. Its trunk is low, sinuous, and its crown is rounded. The bark is rough, ash-gray, and red-brown on the shoots. Flowering is very abundant (photo 2). Its flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter; collected in umbrellas of 4-8 pieces.

But they, for special decorative purposes, lack a little brightness and variety of colors. They are always white, only slightly pinkish on the outside (other related types of apple trees - forest, domestic, Chinese, etc. - have the same drawback). The fruits (apples) are very numerous, spherical, up to 1 cm in diameter, weighing up to 10 g, red or yellowish-red in color, very similar in appearance and shape to large cranberries. Their characteristic sign is the falling of the calyx. They taste sweetish-sour and tart. Fresh ones are little edible, but quite suitable for making jam, marmalade, and juices. But, hanging abundantly throughout the entire crown, they wonderfully decorate the tree from mid-summer until late autumn. The Siberian apple tree itself is very unpretentious and hardy, withstands frosts below -55°C. Not demanding on soil conditions, drought-resistant. Although it still prefers rich, fairly moist and well-drained soils. Easily takes root when transplanted. Propagated by seeds and root shoots.

However, red-leaved varieties look even more impressive among ornamental apple trees; one of the ancestors of which is certainly the Niedzwiecki apple tree. It should be taken into account that in old literature it is sometimes called in Latin - correctly, but in Russian - erroneously - the Sievers apple tree. The latter is a completely independent species that should not be confused with the Niedzwiecki apple tree, although there are certain similarities between them. But the Sievers apple tree does not have the most important distinguishing feature - the bright red (anthocyanin) color of all organs and tissues.

Let's consider some of the most interesting, from a decorative point of view, red-leaved species and varieties that most fully meet the goal. Of course, first of all, it will be the Niedzwetzkyana apple tree itself (M. Niedzwetzkyana Dieck.). She comes from Central Asia (Western Tien Shan, Karatau, Kurama Range). It grows along mountain slopes in the belt of trees and shrubs, is rare, and is on the verge of extinction. Sometimes cultivated by the local population. It is a low tree 2-6 m tall, but in natural conditions, in its homeland, old trees can reach 18 m in height. The popular name is kuldzhinka, or red kuldzhinka. Some taxonomists sometimes combine it not only with the Sievers apple tree, but also with the low apple tree, but most botanists believe that both of these species, although close, are nevertheless independent. In this case, as with the Sievers apple tree, the main distinguishing feature is the presence of anthocyanin (red pigment) in the Niedzwiecki apple tree in all parts and tissues of the plant: leaves, flowers, fruit pulp, seeds, young bark, and other organs. As a result, the young trunk and perennial branches have a dark purple, red-brown or purple color. Annual shoots are also dark purple, dark red-brown, sometimes almost black. Even its wood has a reddish tint. The leaves are leathery, obovate, elliptical or oblong, narrowed at both ends, with a short pointed tip at the apex, up to 8 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. When blooming, both sides are covered with tomentose-hairy pubescence; which, in the future, is preserved only from below; the petioles are also pubescent. Fully expanded leaves are dark green with a reddish tint, or even violet-red in color and dark purple petioles; they turn red in the fall. This color makes the crown of the tree very unique and attractive; the latter most often has a spherical shape. No other species or variety of apple tree, except its own descendants, can compare with the Niedzwiecki apple tree in beauty. Its buds are dark purple in color, and the blossoming flowers are very large, up to 3-4.5 cm in diameter, intense pink or bright crimson-purple (photo 3), on white felt pedicels, of exceptional beauty. Flowering usually lasts two weeks, from mid-May to early June.

The tree blooms in 5-6 years. The fruits are solitary, slightly ribbed, spherical, flat-spherical or slightly elongated, tapering towards the apex; small or medium, sometimes up to large. Their saucer is spacious and deep, the cup is closed or half-open. The stalk is thick and short, almost not protruding beyond the limits of a small and shallow funnel. The skin is entirely violet-dark red with a strong waxy coating. The pulp is dense, juicy, sweet, beautiful pink-purple in color. The Niedzwiecki apple tree is unpretentious, but grows better on fertile soils. At high groundwater levels it is short-lived. It propagates well by grafting; any type of apple tree can serve as a rootstock. Transplantation from a nursery to a permanent place is usually carried out 2-3 years after grafting. Naturally, it is most decorative during flowering, as well as fruit ripening, and before leaf fall. When landscaping, it is usually used as solitaires (single plantings), in contrasting groups and to create alleys. In the conditions of the Tien Shan it has high winter hardiness. It grows well in cultivation in the Southern and Southwestern regions of the country. In the central zone and to the north, the winter hardiness of the Nedzvetsky apple tree is insufficient, but many varieties bred on its basis are quite winter-hardy. All of them have large pink or purple flowers of rare beauty (photo 4), as a result, during flowering, they resemble huge azaleas (photo 5).

The color of the skin of the fruit is dark cherry-red, and the flesh is dark red. Even with repeated crossing, i.e. in the third generation, in 20% of seedlings, the anthocyanin color of shoots, flowers and other parts of plants is not only preserved, but sometimes even enhanced compared to the original species. Almost all of them were bred for the middle zone, and are grown there. These are Michurin varieties such as: Pepin crimson, Red standard, as well as Bellefleur trilobed, rugosa, purple and red. In the latter, the signs of the Niedzwiecki apple tree appeared so strongly that they were not only expressed in the reddish-violet color of young leaves, reddish veins and petioles, the dark red surface of the fruit, and the pink flesh of them. But they also caused a slight decrease in the taste of the latter, compared to the mother variety Bellefleur Chinese. Their shape is flat-round, size is average; covered with a waxy coating. But the bright pink flowers of this variety are especially beautiful. It is most widespread in the Tambov region. The winter hardiness of the trees is average, at the level of the widely known Babushkino variety, which is hardy enough to grow in the North-West of the country. However, another red-leaved descendant of the Nedzvetsky apple tree is best suited for cultivation in this region - the Komsomolets variety, bred by I.V. Michurin. Parents - Bellefleur-Chinese x Rubinovoe. The tree is medium-sized, has high winter hardiness, both in the middle zone and to the north. The crown is round, the variety is not affected by scab. The period of fruiting begins at 9-10 years. The flowers and leaves are similar to those of the other varieties listed above. The fruits are long, truncated-conical, medium in size, weight - 80 g. The skin of apples is completely covered with a red integumentary color, brighter on the sunny side. The pulp is intensely pink, dense, juicy, sweet (sugars 10.0%), with pleasant sourness (acids 0.8%), vitamin C - 7.7 mg/%. Although the organoleptic taste of the fruit is only average, due to the brightness of the color of the skin, and especially the pulp, it subjectively seems much better. Apples are stored until February - March and are suitable for processing. The variety is decorative and technical, the yield is high, it is especially good for amateur gardening.

For decorative purposes, you can also use Budagovsky's Paradise (synonyms: red-leaved paradizka, PB, PK-9, V-9) - a red-leaved variety bred by V. I. Budagovsky. The latter was created as a dwarf rootstock or intercalary insert for tall, large-fruited varieties of domestic apple trees. He is also a fourth generation descendant of the Niedzwiecki apple tree. Parents: rootstock M8 x Red Standard. Therefore, it has a pronounced red color of the leaves, dark cherry of the shoots, and bright pink of the flowers. It is very decorative, especially in spring and autumn, and can be successfully used not only as a rootstock, but also for landscaping purposes. However, since the variety was created for a very specific use as a dwarf rootstock, obtaining large and tasty fruits from it was not the goal when breeding it. They are small, although brightly colored, sweet and sour, their flesh is pink. Due to their ordinary taste, they can only be used for technical purposes and for processing. Productivity is high. The tree is low-growing, the wood is fragile, red in color. Propagated by layering, green cuttings, grafting. The variety is well compatible with all large-fruited varieties. The root system is branched, fragile, located in the lower part of the arable horizon, and can withstand temperatures down to -13…14ºС. The winter hardiness of the trees is average, but in the North-West the variety can grow, although in some years it freezes slightly. Scab resistant. There are some other red-leaved rootstocks, bred later than Paradise Budagovsky (including on its basis), which can also be used for landscaping purposes; for example, rootstock 62-396, which also has high winter hardiness, rootstocks No. 57-146 and No. 57-49, which are currently undergoing extensive testing. In addition, many small-fruited red-leaved varieties can be used for the same purpose. First of all, this applies to the Pionerochka variety, which was bred at the Pavlovsk VIR station, and which is also a descendant of the Nedzvetsky apple tree. It is distinguished by its strong growth, the crown is elongated, rounded, openwork. The shoots are thin, reddish-brown, shiny. The leaves are dark green, medium-sized, with red petioles and veins; turn red in autumn. The fruits are small, 20-30 g, the skin and pulp are colored with anthocyanin (red), contain 11% sugars, up to 2.0% acids, 32 mg/% vitamin C. They are harvested in early September. They are not stored in storage. The variety is highly winter-hardy, resistant to scab and other diseases. It begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting and produces abundant harvests every year. The fruits are mainly used for processing: jam, compotes, marmalade, etc.

In addition, a whole group of small-fruited apple trees consists of special decorative varieties, the so-called crabs. They are especially popular in the USA. Among them there are many red-leaved ones with pink flowers of various shades. These are varieties such as: Makomik, Alba, Violescence, Garingo, General Grant, Marengo, Minnesota, Oblonga, Striata, Fastigata bifera, Floribunda, Floribunda astrosanguinea and others. Most of them are low or medium-height trees with an elegant crown, blooming profusely and beautifully. The fruits are small or medium-sized (photo 6), brightly colored, suitable, in most cases, only for processing. Winter hardiness is high. If desired, a more detailed description of them can be found in the book by L.P. Simirenko “Pomology”, vol. 1, Kyiv, 1961, and other publications.

In our country, among similar American varieties, the most common variety is Dolgo (a descendant of the Siberian apple tree). The tree is medium-sized, the crown is rounded, densely leafy. The variety is winter-hardy and resistant to scab. It begins to bloom and bear fruit in the 3-4th year.

Not only is it very decorative with pale pink flowers and bright red fruits (photo 7); but it also produces huge yields of magnificently beautiful small, weighing 12-25 g, very beautiful, oval-shaped bright red apples (photo 8). Their pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, aromatic. They can be used fresh, but are much tastier in processed products. They are especially suitable (entirely, together with the stalks) for making original and wonderful-tasting jam, in which they become bright orange-red, translucent, so that the seeds are visible through their pulp.

But those apple trees in which one half of the crown blooms with ordinary white flowers, and the other with bright pink, look especially unusual and beautiful on the site. This effect is achieved by regrafting part of the crown with a variety that has the same flower color. For the most part, it will again be a descendant of the Niedzwiecki apple tree. And it would be even more original if such vaccinations were performed one by one on all the main skeletal branches. Then, either white or bright pink spots of flowers strewn across the crown, changing places in a checkerboard pattern and gradually decreasing in size, will rise in steps up the crown. Even when flowering ends, the effect of such vaccinations will not disappear, but will simply change its shape, because on the trees there will be a contrast between the blooming light green and reddish-dark green leaves of both varieties. It is highly desirable that their fruits also be, respectively, golden (bright yellow) and red, preferably scarlet in color. To the contrast of color, you can also add the contrast between the shape and size of the fruit. Then the trees will look very attractive and original not only in spring, but also in late summer - early autumn. In addition, even later, during leaf fall, the bright colors of yellow and purple leaves will again appear. And even after its completion, when such apple trees are already bare, dark red or cherry shoots of the red-leaved variety will enliven the crown, and to some extent contrast with the brown-brown shoots and branches of the apple tree-rootstock. It is best to use trees with similar contrasts for single plantings as tapeworms. Then a person’s gaze, not distracted by other objects, will involuntarily be fixed longer on these original trees. And one more thing - if a lot of similar apple trees are planted, this will create some unnecessary diversity on the site, and the taste quality of the crop will noticeably suffer from this. In extreme cases, there can be a maximum of two such trees, for example on both sides of the gate, or at both wings of the house. Moreover, in this case it will be necessary to strive for the apple trees to be, as it were, a mirror image of each other. This is especially true for trees in which half of the crown has been regrafted, i.e. with their pink parts they should be facing one another - this will create an additional illusion of depth of perspective. Bringing the white sides together will be somewhat less effective, although creating such a composition is also possible. But the sequential alternation of colors - white - pink - white - pink, or vice versa - will create an unpleasant variegated effect. Finding contrasting flowering varieties suitable for grafting is not so difficult. All that remains is to learn how to plant, or find someone who would create a similar original garden decoration for you. When using purely red-leaved varieties, in addition to tapeworms, you can additionally create small curtains and alleys along paths.

But not only specially bred ornamental varieties are beautiful and decorative. The domestic apple tree during flowering (photo 9) and fruiting (photo 10) is also very attractive, and is only slightly inferior to them in beauty. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully place its trees on the garden plot so as not only to obtain high yields of apples, but also to make the most of their beauty and decorativeness.