Help me decide between these two trees please :)

Hawthorn. Less suseptible to disease.

 

Hold your horses @Sienna's Blossom no one stuck up for the malus yet .

I am saying the Malus multi season with nice foliage throughout the growing season . Someone round the corner from me has a crab apple and its glorious in full flower can't even see any leaves , then the crab apples which are very attractive especially on royalty (can make a bit of a mess with the sheer quantity of them ) and most malus have decent autumn colouring as well .

Hawthorne nice flowers foliage ok - THORNS autumn foliage not sure but most hawthornes I've seen aren't worth talking about . Autumn berries look nice on mass .

Both are equal in flowering terms in my opinion but the malus beats it in all the other category's.

 

But it does harbour woodworm.

 

Hello, Sienna.
I would like to stick my hand up for the Malus 'Royalty'.
I planted mine in my small front garden a few years ago... eight, ten years now? It's gorgeous, with dark, crimson leaves, purple red flowers in April/May. The dark red fruits in Autumn are pretty too. Great for wildlife.
I've had no bother with it at all, it has a nice shape to it, must be 8-12 feet tall. Beautiful against a blue sky.
Have you not room for both trees?

 

The Malus Royalty is definitely a beautiful looking tree, and it was the year round interest that appealed to me too. Think I'd be pushing it trying to add both to the garden though, allowing for longer term and their maximum heights..... (trying to be sensible and it's not easy )

 

I was just being cheeky.
Whichever tree you choose, I hope it grows well and will enhance the look of your garden.

 

I know - but it is the sort of thing I'd do!

Thank you. Really looking forward to a new year in the garden. Nice to have something positive to think about after the year we've all had and the uncertainty of the year ahead.

 

Malus Royalty , beautiful colouring.

 

Another thought that may sway you. The Malus is a lot less common than the Hawthorn. Hawthorns can be seen almost anywhere in the countryside as well as gardens.

 

I think the reference in the OP was for a more showy version of the common hawthorn, Midland Hawthorn, I think I have seen it and it makes a nice compact headed tree.
In fact when I first saw it I was confused as to whether it was actually a hawthorn or not.

 

I realise that Pete, but I think Hawthorns are more suited to a rural/semi rural garden. Although I don't know whether Sienna's Blossom's garden is.

 

I'd have the hawthorn for the birds.

 

There's a red Crab Apple we pass about 4 times a day out dog walking, and the small, red crab apples stay on it untouched throughout Winter. Never seen a bird near them.

 

Looks like a beautiful tree @Scrungee
Lovely pop of colour on this very dreary day.

Are you going to make crab apple jelly? I've never tried it, but am intrigued to know what its like.

 

That tree is over a hedge in private gardens. If if was accessible, I would have stripped it, for both jelly and cider.

We normally make crab apple jelly, but mainly for Xmas gifts (too much sugar content).

Mrs Scrungee's crab apple jelly is normally very good, but this year looked like cloudy vomit!

I reckoned she used unripe crab apples, so picked a load of them, waited until they softened then pulped and pressed them, waited for sediment to drop, then siphoned clear juice into bottles and pasteurised it. That was then used (with addition of lemon juice, as most of the pectin required for setting was left behind in the skins/cores in the pressed pulp. Turned out perfect.

If I could get enough of those red crab apples, I'd mix them with red eaters and make some pink cider.