Images may show mature specimens and are provided as a guide only. As plants are living products, the size, shape and appearance of the stock supplied may vary from the images shown.

Nursery Direct

Chinese Flowering Crab Apple

Malus spectabilis

Regular price $800.00 AUD
Regular price Sale price $800.00 AUD
Sale Sold out

Everything is included in this price: the plant, free delivery and professional installation

The price you see is the whole job: the plant supplied, delivered free and professionally installed. Done for you.

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Want to see the actual plant?

The photo shows this species, not the individual plant reserved for you. Send us an enquiry and we usually reply within 1 business day with photos of the actual stock available in the size you want.

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How tall it arrives: 400mm about 1.5 to 2.5m, 75L about 1.5 to 2.5m. Heights vary with species and season. How pot sizes work

Getting it in: the largest size here needs about 900mm of clear access. Measure the narrowest point on the route and tell us on the booking call. Standard access is included in the price, and anything unusual is quoted and agreed with you before work begins. What happens on installation day

Looking for a larger size?

Sizes shown are the sizes we currently source in this species. If you need larger specimens, project quantities or a size not listed, our sourcing team can look for it through our national supplier network. We confirm your exact stock with you on the booking call before anything ships.

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You order. We do the rest.

After checkout, our team contacts you to confirm site access and book a day that suits. Most orders are delivered and planted within 2 to 4 weeks of your booking call. Nothing else for you to organise.

Registered Australian business, ABN 33 683 675 603. Public liability certificates available on request.

Product Details

Overview & Specifications

Price includes everything: the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.

Chinese Flowering Crab Apple - Malus spectabilis

Malus spectabilis is the crab apple grown for blossom above all else: fat carmine buds open to semi-double or double pale pink flowers that fade toward white, carried so thickly along the branches that the wood disappears. The tree itself is a neat, rounded, upright small tree with a clean trunk, easy to place in a suburban garden. Small yellowish fruit follows, more useful to birds than to cooks, and autumn brings a soft yellow leaf turn.

Why Chinese Flowering Crab Apple

Bud to Bloom Contrast: Deep carmine buds opening to pale pink give the tree two colours at once during flowering.
Semi-Double Flowers: Extra petals extend the display and hold up better in wind than single crab apple blossom.
Neat Rounded Crown: Grows into a tidy dome without training, which suits formal and cottage settings equally.
Bird Fruit: Small persistent fruit feeds birds through autumn and does not create a serious mess problem.
Cool Climate Reliability: Needs genuine winter chill and rewards it, performing strongly in Victoria, Tasmania, the tablelands and the Adelaide Hills.

Ideal Applications

Spring Blossom Feature: One tree carries a whole garden for several weeks in early to mid spring.
Cottage Garden Structure: Provides the small tree layer above roses, perennials and bulbs.
Orchard Pollinator: Crab apples are useful pollen sources for nearby cultivated apple varieties.
Courtyard Scale Tree: Modest final dimensions make it safe to plant close to a house or paved area.

Specimen & Installation

Spacing (screening/hedge): 3 to 4m
Spacing (feature/avenue): 5 to 6m
Best Planting Season: Winter, while dormant
Soil & Drainage: Well-drained loam or clay loam with reasonable fertility; avoid permanently wet ground
Establishment Care: Water deeply weekly through the first two summers, particularly during flowering and early fruit set. Mulch 75mm deep in a grass-free ring and prune only to remove crossing or damaged wood in winter, since crab apples flower on older spurs that heavy pruning destroys.

Plant Details

Height: 5 to 8m
Width: 4 to 6m
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage: Deciduous
Light: Full sun
Native to: China
Flower Colour: Pale pink fading toward white, from carmine buds

Delivery & Installation

Delivery and installation are included in your price

No freight calculators and no separate installation quote for a standard installation. Your price covers specialist plant transport, positioning and professional planting by our installation team. The whole job, handled.

Delivery & installation Included
  • Wrapped, secured and transported by specialist plant freight.
  • Professionally planted, staked and finished by our install team.
  • Our team confirms site access and schedules a time that suits you.
How It Works

Installation

Professional installation included, never extra

Every plant we sell is planted by our professional installation team, and it's already in the price. We coordinate the delivery, the machinery and the planting for standard site access, so your only job is choosing the tree. Unusual access or engineering requirements? We'll confirm everything with you after checkout before any work begins.

Questions? Send An Enquiry

Why Nursery Direct

Every price includes supply, delivery and installation

Buying a mature tree often means three separate jobs: the plant, the freight and finding someone to plant it. We price the whole job as one: the tree, the delivery and the professional install.

  • One price: supplied, delivered and installed
  • Mature trees and specimen palms at every scale
  • National sourcing for hard-to-find stock
  • Residential, estate and commercial projects
Contact Our Sourcing Team

How It Works

Place your order. We do the rest.

1

We Supply

Premium advanced stock, selected from a national network of wholesale growers.

2

We Deliver

Specialist plant freight brings your order to your door. Free, anywhere in Australia.

3

We Install

Our professional team plants, stakes, mulches and finishes the job on site.

Good To Know

Questions, answered

What exactly is included in the price?

Everything for a standard installation: the plant itself, free specialist delivery to your property, and professional installation by our planting team into prepared or accessible ground, with no freight fees added later. If your site needs a crane or other difficult access work, that is quoted separately and agreed with you before anything is booked, never after. Difficult access has its own question on this page.

How does installation work?

After you order, our team contacts you to confirm site access and book a day that suits. On the day, your plants arrive by specialist freight and our installers position, plant, stake and mulch them, then leave the site tidy.

When will my order arrive?

Most orders are delivered and planted within 2 to 4 weeks of your booking call. After checkout, our team contacts you to confirm details and book the delivery and planting day, so you have a date before anything ships. Timing can vary with stock location and your area, and we confirm your exact day with you.

What if my site has tricky access?

Standard installation covers planting into accessible ground and is included in every price. If your site involves cranes, tight access or special machinery, we assess it with you after you order and agree on everything before any work begins. Always before, never after.

Do you offer a plant guarantee?

Yes, and it runs well past delivery day. Every plant is inspected before dispatch and protected in transit, and we guarantee it arrives alive and in reasonable condition. Beyond that you have a 30 day plant guarantee, and a 1 year conditional replacement warranty: if a plant fails within 12 months of delivery despite following our care recommendations, you can submit a claim for assessment. Claims need photographs of the plant and the planting site plus details of watering, drainage and soil, because living plants depend on the conditions they are put into. The full terms are in our refund policy.

What if the exact plant or size I order is not available?

Every plant is sourced to order from our grower network, so before anything ships we call you to confirm the exact stock we have secured, the size and the delivery day. If the plant you chose is not available in the size you wanted, we tell you on that call and go through the options with you, whether that is a different size, a close alternative or waiting for the right stock. Nothing is loaded onto a truck before you know what is coming. Full details are in our refund policy.

Can I plant outside the best planting season?

Yes. We deliver and plant all year round. The best planting season shown on each listing is about ideal establishment, not a restriction: planting in that window usually means less watering and a faster settling in period. Our team adjusts how a plant is installed and watered in for the conditions on the day, and if you are planting through peak summer heat or a cold snap we will talk you through the extra care it needs on your booking call.

Will this plant suit my climate?

Australia covers a lot of climates, and a plant that thrives in Brisbane can struggle in Ballarat. Every listing states the mature size, the light it wants and where the species comes from. If you are not certain a plant suits your frost, heat, wind or coastal exposure, send us an enquiry before you order and we will tell you honestly whether it is right for your site. We would rather talk you out of the wrong plant than replace it later.

Can I order for a large project?

Yes. For project quantities and commercial supply, use the Request Project Pricing button on any product and our sourcing team will put together a complete package: supplied, delivered and installed.