malus 'Dreamweaver' (columnar crabapple)

This Dreamweaver columnar crabapple tree is blooming a little early since I just picked it up from the garden centre, but aren't the flowers pretty?  And they smell nice too!  The foliage will turn a deep burgandy for the summer, and it will even produce edible fruit.

This is a great tree for small spaces.  The tree will eventually get up to 1 m wide and 3 m tall.

There weren't any crabapple trees when I moved into this house and my old house had 4 large ones.  I am thrilled to have crabapple flowers in my garden again!!

Comments

[Pam]

I planted a Dreamweaver Columnar Crabapple in my Ontario garden in 2009 and it bloomed beautifully. However, it did not bloom in 2010. It seems healthy so I am perplexed. Any ideas

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Pam,
I can't speak from experience but I have read a couple of articles that describe Dreamweaver as a less-prolific bloomer than some other varieties. I actually planted two in 2009 (click on the link to the next post at the top of this page: columnar crabapple trees in the butterfly potager) and one bloomed this year more than the other - the one that gets a little more sun, of course! Would that be a factor for you?
Also, we need to give them another year or two to get established before we can expect best performance. Hope that helps,
Janice

[Tammy]

I am in Calgary & thinking about getting a few Dreamweaver crabapple trees for my small backyard. Can anyone tell me if these trees are invasive? I've only managed to find a little info on google that suggests they're not invasive at all, but a second opinion would be nice, since my yard has underground utility lines along the back fence where I'd like to plant them. I'd be planting them 3-4 feet away from the utility line. Is that far enough away? Also, from what I've read, Dreamweavers range from 5-10' tall. What has been your experience with these? I'm hoping to screen the view of my backyard neighbour! Don't need the trees to be massively tall, just tall enough so *I* don't have to see the neighbour's porch! :)

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Not sure what you mean by invasive. They don't spread by suckers or anything for one thing. But you seem to be concerned about the roots breaking into pipes - no, I don't think that is a concern either. My trees are 3 years old now and definitely close to 10' tall. They make a great screen since they take up so little space. Still finding they don't bloom much, though.
Cheers,
Janice