Name: Malus x ‘Snowdrift’ aka Snowdrift crabapple

Type of Plant: Small tree for full or part sun, growing 20 feet tall and wide, so suitable for average yards and gardens.

Why I Love/Hate this plant: This tree has white flowers over a two to three week period in the spring, and small crabapples in the fall. Although the bloom time is fleeting, the flowers appear at the time of year when they cheer us the most. This variety is very disease resistant.

A Word to the Wise: Like most trees, this one should get pruned by removing dead wood and crossed branches, plus stems that head into the center of the plant instead of out and away from the trunk. This pruning should be done in March or early April.

This small tree is about 12 years old. Snowdrift grows into a pretty shape with minimal pruning.

The buds on a Snowdrift crabapple are pink, but they open into pure white. Place this tree where you can enjoy the entire process in the spring, from bud-break to floweringing. The fruits are ornamental as well, and the birds appreciate them in the early winter.

Here a Baltimore Oriole pokes through the flowers of a Snowdrift crabapple. I don’t know if he was finding insects or nectar, but either way he was one happy bird and the sight of his brilliant orange among the white flowers made us smile as well.