Flowering Crabapple 'Prairie Fire'

Malus

Family
Rosaceae (ro-ZAY-see-ee)
Genus
Malus (MAY-lus)
Synonym
Height
12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)
15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m)
Spacing
12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Bloom Time
Mid season flowering
Danger
N/A
Bloom Color
Pink
Rose/Mauve
Bloom Time
Late Winter/Early Spring
Mid Spring
Foliage
Grown for foliage
Deciduous
Bloom Time
Bloom Color
Bloom Time
Bloom Time
Bloom Color
Bloom Color
Other Details
Other details
Propagation Methods
From softwood cuttings
By grafting
By budding
Patent Information
Pollination
Bearing Habit
Rootstock Vigor
Disease Resistance
Resistant to Apple Scab
Resistant to Apple Powdery Mildew
Resistant to Cedar-Apple Rust
Resistant to Fireblight
Fruit Usage
Crab
Foliage Color
Burgundy/Maroon
Bloom Characteristics
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Water Requirements
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Where to Grow
Seed Collecting
Remove fleshy coating on seeds before storing
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
Fruit Shape
Fruit Size
Fruit Colors
Growing Habit
Days to Maturity
Seed Type
Disease Resistance
Leaf Type
Soil pH requirements
5.1 to 5.5 (strongly acidic)
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Plant Size (check one)
Growing Habit
Growth Rate
Leaf Shape
Leaf Appearance
Degree to which the appearance is present
Leaf Texture (top)
Leaf Texture (bottom)
Leaf Color
Color of Leaf Margin
Leaf Substance
Number of Vein Pairs
Appearance of Margin
Margin Width
Flower Shape
Flower Fragrance
Does it set seed?
Flower Size
Flower Type
Blooming Habit
Foliage Habit
Color Patterns
Awards (if applicable)
Category
Trees
Seed Type
Growth Habit
Days to Maturity
Awards (if applicable)
Bloom Shape
Other Details
Pruning Instructions
Kernel Color
Flower Shape
Flower Habit
Bloom Size
Color Pattern
Bloom Shape
Pruning Groups
Bloom Diameter
Heat (Pungency)
Fruit Shape
Fruit Size
Fruit Color
Disease Resistance
Seed Type
Flower Size
Size/Type
Flower Characteristics
Leaf Shape/Type
Leaf Texture
Leaf Color
Propagation
Classification
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Walnut Creek, California

South Windsor, Connecticut

Rathdrum, Idaho

Bradley, Illinois

Carol Stream, Illinois

Spring Grove, Illinois

Dawson, Iowa

Fort Dodge, Iowa

Urbandale, Iowa

Andover, Kansas

Clermont, Kentucky

Georgetown, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Alfred, Maine

Gobles, Michigan

Mattawan, Michigan

Stephenson, Michigan

Tecumseh, Michigan

Traverse City, Michigan

Whitmore Lake, Michigan

Kearney, Nebraska

Rutherford, New Jersey

Clyde, North Carolina

Bucyrus, Ohio

Enid, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma(2 reports)

Albany, Oregon

Chiloquin, Oregon

West Grove, Pennsylvania

Tremonton, Utah

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ames Lake, Washington

Redmond, Washington

Stanwood, Washington

Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Washington

show all

Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

10
positives
3
neutrals
0
negative
Sort By:
Sort By:
P
West Grove, PA | April 2017 | positive

I almost didn't buy Prairie Fire because the name made me think it would be an orangey red, which I'm generally not that fond of, at leas...Read More

K
Carol Stream, IL | July 2016 | neutral

I've had two Prairiefire crabapples. I dug out one that didn't have a nice shape to it. I've had the other for about 10 years. While it'...Read More

G
Albany, OR | May 2013 | positive

I have had this crabapple for close to ten years. It's done quite well with very little care or supplemental water in a fairly dry soil ...Read More

H
Walnut Creek, CA | May 2013 | neutral

I had three of these trees in my garden and had to remove one because it was so badly harmed by scale insects. A second tree gets scale e...Read More

P
Manteo, NC | May 2013 | positive

I have had Prairie Fire for fifteen years on Roanoke Island North Carolina. It has done well every year Seedlings of couse are not Prairi...Read More

G
Middlebury, VT | May 2013 | positive

When we lived in central Wisconsin (54971), we had a garden bed adjacent to our house that apparently hosted verticilium wilt. After a Na...Read More

M
Washington Grove, MD | May 2013 | positive

Prairiefire is one of my all-time favorite trees. I first planted it in a city-sized front yard in Boston, where I knew it will just sque...Read More

Z
Thornton, CO | January 2013 | positive

I have 3 of these planted on the west side of my property on the northeastern plains/edge of foothills of Rocky Mountains in Colorado. T...Read More

J
Oklahoma City, OK | January 2013 | positive

Having worked for several years in a nursery that sells this variety, and having watched other varieties succumb to every nasty disease t...Read More

C
Redmond, WA | October 2011 | positive

Beautiful tree for the Pacific Northwest and very resistant to disease. The mild wet winters and spring here encourage black spot and ot...Read More

J
South Windsor, CT (Zone 6a) | September 2010 | positive

I first saw this tree in a gardening magazine that was featuring some of the finer crabapples available. I was fortunate to find one at ...Read More

O
Chiloquin, OR | August 2008 | positive

I live in zone 4/5 and am finding this is a somewhat slower grower than some other trees, however, it is thriving considering our short g...Read More

M
M
Timnath, CO (Zone 5b) | July 2007 | neutral

I don't see why this cultivar is supposed to be so fantastic. It is pretty in the spring but I think 'Profusion' is much more beautiful.

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