Most crabapples stink in flower, are similar in odor to pears or hawthorns. Only certain kinds are fragrant. Be sure to sample one in bloom before choosing it. I think you will find your list does not meet your olfactory requirements.

Any malus blossom in general will smell better than a pyrus blossom, at least to my nose. But not all crabapples will smell "good" to humans. Purchase when in bloom to assure olfactory satisfaction.

That's why I typed "similar", as opposed to "same". Of the three pears reek with extra gusto.

I find the wild, native crabapples - Malus angustifolia - to have a wonderful, rose-like fragrance.

i like snow drift and springsnow for your zone. Both smell wonderful!
i have never really found a stinky crabapple myself. im sure they are out there

I have 'Dolgo' which is a large tree with white flowers, we make jelly out of the fruit. It finished last week with wonderfully fragrant flowers.
I have many M. sargentii which have a delightful smell, right now the shrubby trees are solid white.
You should go to a local arboretum and compare the crabs in your area. I think the species (rather than cvs) are more likely to be fragrant since they haven't been tampered with too much.

Thanks everyone for all the info.
babday, do you have snowdrift or spring snow? Any info on their overall size, shape, disease resistance etc. I find people's practical experiences are often much more informative than descriptions in books etc. I did go to our local arboretum (Arnold Arboretum) where I found the manchurian crabapple. Didn't come across the snowdrift or spring snow so looking to gateher some more info.

Thanks again,
Amna

i like springsnow and snowdrift because my local tree pro at the nursery rates them highly for our area. springsnow is less resistant to scab and snowdrift is less resistant to fireblight. SO you pick which of those two problems is worse in your area.
ALSO i think spring snow smells a little better.

Both trees will eventually get to 20ish by 20ish feet here in utah.

our area is high desert with awful alkaline soil, high winds, hot dry summers and long cold winters.

good luck!

Sugar Tyme has a great fragrance.

Sutyzam Sugar Tyme®: oval-rounded, 15Â20 tall, 15 wide, pale-pink flower buds opening to fragrant white flowers, persistent bright red fruit. Zone 4.

Does anyone know if Brandywine is fragrant? It is sure pretty!

I have Royalty and Profusion. Profusion smells wonderful and have bright deep pink flowers. The fruits are not messy and hang on the tree all winter. It gets 20 X 20 eventually though mine is not there yet. I'm thinking of getting a spring snow soon for a white fragrant flower. Which one did you decide on and how has it treated you?

Amna, I too live in the Boston area and am looking for a fragrant crabapple. I want to replace the one I have but I don't know the variety. The blooms are light pink and the smell is very sweet like candy. Does anyone know what variety this might be?

Jennifer, if you take a photo of it to post here, you could see if someone recognizes it. You could take a branch or photo to Arnold Arboretum and various large nurseries such as Weston's for comparison. You could find someone who does grafting (the way named apple and crabapple varieties are all reproduced) to graft from your current trees onto rootstock to raise new copies of your current tree.

Great suggestions! Hoping it will bloom soon and I will post a photo. Arnold arboretum was a great suggestion too! Thanks!

Can anyone identify my variety of crabapple tree based on this photo of the blossoms? It has a very sweet fragrance. Thanks

That looks more like a purple leafed Prunus than a crabapple to me. Can you add photos of the bark and the whole trees?

I have 9 crabapple trees. Favorites include: Malus sargentii, David, Prairie Fire and Adam.

Bella Rosa, why are those your faves? I’m on the same quest. Looking for sweet smelling Crabs in the 18-25 foot range that hold their fruit for Winter birds in zone 6.

Hi Dandio,

These are my favorites because of their blooms, fragrance, small fruit (no messy fruit dropping on the ground), and great disease resistance. Their small fruit stays on for a long time and bring several types of birds including the cute little Winter snowbirds - the juncos. We get tons of those.