A case for crab apples

On this Horticulture Day episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe welcomes Jeff Isles, professor of horticulture at Iowa State University, and Aaron Stile, Iowa State University Extension horticulture specialist, to discuss the value and beauty of small-statured trees in Iowa landscapes. The conversation begins with the seasonal bloom of flowering trees like redbuds and dogwoods, highlighting their resilience, aesthetic appeal, and adaptability to changing climates. Jeff Isles passionately defends crabapple trees—once maligned for mess and disease—by promoting modern, disease-resistant cultivars like Snow Crystal, Ruby Days, and Sparkling Sprite that offer stunning spring blooms and persistent fruit without the drawbacks. The hosts also explore understory options like witch hazels, paperbark maples, and hybrid Japanese-Korean maples, emphasizing their ornamental bark, shade tolerance, and suitability for small spaces. Practical gardening advice follows, including proper planting distances from foundations and retaining walls, managing root intrusion, and timing for transplanting and pruning. Listeners' questions cover topics from deer-damaged white pines to invasive Siberian squill and fruit tree care, with experts offering science-backed, realistic solutions. The episode closes with a lighthearted exchange about the enduring love for crabapples, even in the face of playful teasing.