BRANDYWINE

M. ioensis ‘Plena’ Klehm’s No. 8 (M. x purpurea ‘Lemoinei’ x M. ‘Klehm’s Improved’)  Brandywine is where the best of the ornamental world and the cider world combine: incredibly beautiful, intensely fragrant flowers followed by delightfully bitter fruit. Deep red buds open to small, deep pink, “double”, multi-petaled, rose-like blossoms. One of the most fragrant crabs. Ornamental crab growers often disdain the unattractive, 1–2”, yellow fruit that drops in the fall and makes a mess. Some cidermakers, however, love the highly tannic fruit. In Cider Digest a few years ago, one grower wrote, “You ought to try planting a crab called ‘Brandywine’. WOW!!! what a real mouth-killer as far as tannin goes....Couldn’t tell you the acidity because my tongue had gone dead.” We adore the tree, the bloom, the intoxicating fragrance, and the fruit. Loosely rounded tree. Blooms very late. Currently growing at Super Chilly Farm. Scionwood originally from Bailey Nursery, MN.