Frankentree r fun! Bob those low guys are not apically dominant, it will be hard to get them to grow much. Its good to put backup grafts there to keep the variety but not for the main graft. If they are main varieties not backups I would grab some budwood on them this August and put them in a more dominant spot. When I make a frankentree I pick a height, say 4', and cut all the scaffolds off to that height. All the grafts will then have the same vigor more or less because there will not be one that is too apically dominant. If you want a lot of varieties you can put 6, 8 or more different varieties bark grafted to the same big fat stock. They are all at the exact same height on the same stock so will have very similar vigor. Eric, you may have trouble with that one graft growing like crazy wanting to take over the whole tree. Also watch that big weeping part, its going to want to send up some huge shoots here. I would whack it way back now. Scott

Actually, let me back up. While out observing 3 Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillars on the crabapple tree I tried one of the bigger fruits. It wasn't too bad and had a distinct apple note to it. I'm kinda assuming the bitterness is from the peel. I am not talking tart, which supposedly gives crabbies their appeal (a peel, huh, get it?) for jelly/jam/juice/pie. I am talking an almost tongue numbing bitterness.

There are several crabapple species native to North America but you do not find the straight species or any species cultivars for sale except outside the specialty nursery or very rarely an old specimen of Malus ioensis 'plena' in some old landscapes. There are several other mostly Asian species in cultivation but most of the crabapples are going to be a hybrid mishmash. There are many crabapple cultivars and or most trying to attach a species name is useless. I have never heard of American beauty. Highly unlikely what you picked has a connection to the old plant you like. ÂAmerican beauty may not even have existed at the time of planting or the old crabapple may have even vanished from commerce. Varieties come and go. You can likely expect a good flowering show from your crabapple, though. A nice deep pink in the link below. You could always graft the plant in question yourself. It would be the same method as grafting apples; information for that is all over the web. Here is a link that might be useful: Malus x 'American Beauty'

I have a profusion crabapple that I dearly love and would be delighted to find another, but none of the online stores carry this variety. I have other flowering crabs that are beautiful too, but none can touch my profusion for grace and beauty. Mine is about 15-20 years old. Profusion is a semi-weeping tree that looks drop dead gorgeous if the lower branches are not cut off (never could understand why people do that anyways!) and if you keep the suckers that spring up around the tree chopped off (otherwise it will revert to its non-hybridized ancestry). Ornamental flowering crabs, like other apples, are wonderful trees. They don't grow too huge, they bloom in spectacular red/pink blooms in the spring, and the leaves have a lovely bronze tinge to them. They do well in areas that get a lot of water and in fertile soil. Plant and enjoy your tree!