Stunning bright red fruits and pink-flushed white blossom

Malus x astrosanguinea ‘Gorgeous’ is a heavy-fruiting tree which produces distinctive glossy red fruits, which remain throughout autumn and into winter. As with all crab apples, ‘Gorgeous’ is very popular with bees, and thus will bring more pollinators into your garden, which is a blessing if you have other apple trees. ‘Gorgeous’ is especially good as a pollinator for all apple trees, and flowers throughout the pollination season, which gives it more chance to pollinate more trees. The fruits of this tree can sometimes be eaten fresh, although they can be sour. They are better stewed and used as jams, as they have high levels of pectin, which helps with the setting of jam.

Variety Information

Habit	Bushy
Flower Colour	White/Pink
Foliage Colour	Green in spring/summer, orange/yellow in autumn
Fruit Colour	Red
Fruit Uses	Jelly-Making, Cider-Making
Pollination Group Crabapples are excellent pollinators of apples and will pollinate any apple plus or minus one (+-1) flowering group.	3
Features	Spring Blossom, Attractive Fruits, Autumn Colour

Size Information

Supplied As	Bare Root
Height on Arrival Height can vary depending on when you purchase your tree, and what rootstock and variety combination you buy.	1.5m (5ft)
Age	2 Years with 4 Year Rootstock
Eventual Height & Spread Eventual size depends on both environmental and genetic conditions.	4m x 4m (13 x 13ft)

Size Options

How Your Plant Will Arrive

Planting Requirements

Planting Guide

Planting Essentials

Supplied As	Height On ArrivalTitle	Supplied By	Link
Bare Root	1.5m Bare Root Primrose-Supplied Tree	Primrose	View Here
Bare Root	1.5m Bare Root Frank P. Matthews-Supplied Tree	Frank P. Matthews	This Product
9L Pot	1.5m 9L Pot Primrose-Supplied Tree	Primrose	View Here
12L Pot	1.5m 12L Pot Primrose-Supplied Tree	Primrose	View Here

Key is to regularly water newly-planted trees, at least bimonthly for two months. It is also important to ensure you choose a location where your tree has enough space, which you can calculate from a variety’s eventual height and spread.

Bare root & containerised trees have different planting requirements. With bare root, it is important to soak your tree’s roots in water for up to 2 hours before planting, while with containerised trees it is important to drench your tree’s rootball. With bare root it can be useful to prune woody roots back a few inches, while with containerised trees, it is important to free any spiralized roots growing around the rootball’s circumference. With bare root trees, dig a hole so as to ensure the graft point is above the soil, while with containerised trees, ensure the pot sits no lower than an inch below ground.

Bare root & containerised trees also share planting requirements. Dig a hole twice the radius of the rootball. Stake your tree no more than 2-3 inches from the stem, pointing away from the prevailing wind. Fill the hole with a mix of compost and garden soil, and add fertiliser and mycorrhizal fungi. Do not compress the soil. Give your tree a good watering. Add mulch on top whether bark and wood chippings, compost, manure, leaf-mould and stones. Make sure mulch doesn’t touch the stem. Tie the stake to your tree, leaving space for growth. Place a rabbit guard around your tree.

Apply fertiliser and replace decomposed mulch come spring. Check ties to ensure there is no rubbing. Collect fallen leaves in autumn.

We have developed an eco friendly polypot currently in use across our 9L range. The polypot uses less than 20% of the plastic compared with a normal pot and, unlike most garden center pots, is recyclable. Polypots also prevent root spiraling to encourage a healthier root system.

All trees arrive in a specially made, extra thick, cardboard box with a clamp to hold the pot in place at the bottom of the box. This prevents any movement during transit, keeping your plant safe.

We wrap the roots of our bare root trees and use compost to keep them moist during transport. This extra bit of protection prevents them from drying out and makes sure your tree gets off to a flying start.

We use the same specialised box as our potted trees to ensure safe transit.

Crabapple trees are easy to grow. Your tree’s growth and output will likely be fine providing you followed our planting and care instructions. Below we address some common queries:

Hardiness: Some species of crabapple are native to the UK, and the species that aren’t are from far colder regions, so the UK’s mild winters will not affect your tree.
Position: Crabapple trees benefit from being planted in full sun. Planting your tree in a sheltered spot will allow the tree to put more resources into flowering.
Soil Types: Soil types are best ignored and remain an unwelcome confusion. Every plant will adapt to its conditions. Having said that, less than ideal conditions will reduce growth. Waterlogged soils will starve your tree of oxygen, which plays a key role in photosynthesis, cause its roots to rot and create the perfect environment for many diseases. Similarly, compressed soils can starve a tree of oxygen and water, so do not compress the soil when planting. Aeration can be improved further with mulching.