Summer 2021 - important noticeWe are now accepting pre-orders for delivery from late August for pot grown trees and December for bare-rooted trees. More>
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Harry Baker

Harry Baker crab apples

Malus 'Harry Baker' is a popular crab-apple with good spring and autumn appeal. The spring blossom is and intense dark-pink blossom, whilst in autumn the maroon-coloured fruits are very attractive and hang on the tree after the leaves have fallen.

Harry Baker is one of the best varieties for making crab-apple jelly. The fruits, which ripen fairly late in the season, have a pink / red flesh which lends an attractive dark red hue to the resulting jelly, rather like the colour of red wine. The flesh is usefully high in pectin too.

Unusually for a variety with dark-pink blossom and dark red fruits, the leaves are green rather than bronze, although young leaves have a hint of bronze.

Harry Baker crab-apple trees for sale

  • 11-year bare-root tree £27.95
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • 22-year pot-grown tree £47.50
    In a 12L pot
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
Pre-ordering
You can pre-order now for delivery from late August / early September 2021 for pot grown trees (or late November / early December for bare-root). You do not need to pay at this stage - just add items to the basket and checkout as usual.

How to grow

Malus 'Harry Baker' produces a reasonably compact tree, likely to reach 3m-4m in height.

History

This crab-apple variety was named in honour of Harry Baker, Fruit Officer of the RHS at Wisley in the 1980s, and the author of several books on fruit trees and soft fruits.

Harry Baker characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Attractive featuresAttractive flowersAttractive fruit
  • Flower colourCrimson
  • Leaf colourGreen
  • Fruit colourRed
  • Fruit sizeAverage
  • Fruit persistenceRipens over a period
  • Food usesJam / Jelly
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • WildlifeRHS perfect for pollinators
  • Annual cycleDeciduous

Similar varieties

  • See also Roberts Crab
    Malus
    Roberts Crab
    An unusual red-fleshed crab-apple which has large purple fruits. The juice is a claret red colour.

What will it look like?

Illustrative example of a pot-grown tree of this variety as supplied. Approximate girth: 6/8cm. Trees should reach their mature height after about 10 or more years. We may also have 1-year bare-root trees of this variety - they are not shown here.

Malus Harry Baker crab apple tree

How to choose a crab-apple tree

We list more than 40 different crab-apple trees. Choosing can be difficult! See our article explaining the different characteristics of crab-apple trees which will help you narrow down the selection.