Malus x zumi ‘Golden Hornet’ (also called crab apple 'Golden Hornet')
Malus
x zumi
‘Golden Hornet’
Small, deciduous, fruit-bearing tree suitable for small gardens (but not tiny ones). Grown for flowers in spring and a profuse and long lasting display of spherical golden-yellow-coloured fruits. Flowers attract bees and fruits attract birds.
White flowers in spring followed by yellow fruits in autumn.
Leaves are alternate, oval to ovate or elliptic, mostly toothed. H: 10m S: 8m.
Bark is dark brown, un-fissured but with occasional rough patches.
Often fragrant flowers, 2-5cm across, borne singly or in umbels.
More or less spherical bright yellow-orange fruits, variable in size (2-3cm across). Waxy skin, creamy white flesh, fruits last well into winter.
Prefers sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Fertile, moist but well-drained soil.
Fully hardy.
Prune in late winter or early spring, removing crossing shoots/boughs. Mulch root area with manure and apply a fertiliser in spring.
As with all apples, this tree may be affected by wooly aphid, fruit tree red spider mite and caterpillars. In terms of diseases, apple scab, canker and powdery mildew are all possible, but if the tree is properly pruned and fed these should not really be a problem.
Sow seed in a seedbed in autumn, though cultivars may not come true. Bud in late summer. Graft in mid-winter.
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