When the late Melvin Bergeson, longtime Fertile, Minn., nursery man, introduced the Red Splendor flowering crabapple back in 1948, little did he know what impact it would have on the region. Today, ...

Q: I’ve been perplexed with a plant that my mother threw out decades ago which is spreading as a groundcover in the woods. Can you identify it, and should it be removed or eradicated? — Joan B., ...

Q: We spent hours twining Christmas lights in the branches of our red splendor crabapple. Do they need to be removed in the spring, or can they be left for next Christmas too? - Deb Fogel, Moorhead. A ...

This story actually began about 20 years ago, when I planted several red splendor crabapple trees in my yard on a summer day. My plan was to attract birds and other wildlife, which I hoped would feed ...

Related to roses, crabapple trees have clusters of spring flowers made up of five, often slightly cupped petals which are followed by small apple-like fruits. Crabapples are distinguished from eating ...