Crabapple Dolgo #5

The Dolgo Crabapple Tree (Malus 'Dolgo') has been impressing growers since it was first brought from Russia in 1897. One of a group of Malus baccata seedlings brought to South Dakota by Professor N E Hansen, the Dolgo was selected as the best of the lot and introduced to the market in 1917.

Dolgo was an instant hit because it's an early and heavy bearing variety. It also quickly won favor from home growers for its resistance to fire blight and apple scab. By 1940, the Dolgo Crabapple was listed as the leading commercial variety grown in Minnesota. It was proclaimed across the country for its high juice content and excellent flavor for everything from jelly to cider.

Since its introduction, this tree has been beloved by generations of gardeners and may bring back wonderful childhood memories for many. The show begins in early April when the Dolgo Crabapple sprouts apricot-pink buds that open into an explosion of fragrant, self-pollinating, white flowers.

The bloom lasts for weeks! This long bloom period overlaps many other varieties, which is why it is included in many apple orchards. The Dolgo crab is an excellent pollinator for other apple trees.

In fall, the shiny, deep-green foliage turns a stunning bright yellow that is certain to brighten your landscape. Use them along your property line, or as a special accent tree where you'll see it from your window.

In wintertime, you'll delight in the persistent ornamental fruit that hangs like Christmas ornaments on a tree. This provides a food source for local songbirds through the winter. Use it to naturalize a larger landscape and provide a source of food for wildlife.

The Dolgo Crabapple is a large and lovely Crabapple variety that produces large, edible fruit. It works beautifully as a small ornamental tree in your yard and acts as a universal pollinator for other Apple varieties.

This tree is a wonderful choice. Order today!

Grow Healthy Edible Dolgo Crabapples

As attractive as this well-known tree is, it's just as valued for its juicy, brilliant crimson red fruit which ripens in August, early in the Apple season. Sweeter and larger than other Crabapples, the name Dolgo is Russian for the word "long". These fruits grow two-inches long and have excellent fresh eating quality.

The Dolgo is also great for making pies, chutneys, butter, jams, jellies, beer, ciders and sauces. Plan to make healthy fruit leather or pickle the fruit from your tree, as well.

You can even use them to make your own pectin, a beneficial soluble fiber used as a gelling agent to set any kind of fruit jelly or jam. Dolgo's are naturally blessed with an abundance of pectin. You may have seen this as a supplement at the health food store to help maintain normal blood sugar levels.

A cold hardy tree, it is well adapted to Zones 3- 9 and has been grown successfully as far north as Zone 2, so it grows well just about anywhere! You can easily prune this to keep it to any height you desire.

A decorative tree in spring and fall that produces healthy edible fruit. It's hardy and disease resistant...a perfect addition to the landscape as a background tree or accent tree. What else could a homeowner wish for in a landscape tree?