HOW TO GROW MALUS 'RED SENTINEL'

How to grow Malus 'Red Sentinel'

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Malus robusta 'Red Sentinel' is a hardy deciduous ornamental tree, valued for its attractive flowers and fruits. Growing to approximately 3-5 metres high and with a spread of 2.5-4 metres it has slightly arching branches with ovate, mid-green leaves. The single, white 2.5 cm wide blooms are produced in mid-May. Although attractive in its own right as a garden plant, Malus 'Red Sentinel' is also used as a pollinizer in commercial apple orchards. It is an excellent choice for exposed sites and being pollution tolerant makes it particularly suitable for urban areas.

The most notable feature of Malus 'Red Sentinel' are its large crops of glossy, bright scarlet apple-like fruits which can persist on the tree until March. They being as yellow fruits blushed with red however this deepens as the year goes on turning to a dark glossy scarlet by the winter.These fruits are edible but also extremely sour.

Although tolerant of exposed conditions they will perform far better in a sheltered, sunny position. They can be planted in any fertile, well drained soil, but prior to planting, dig in plenty of well-rotted farm manure or garden compost into the soil. They will require the support of a sturdy the stake for the first few year but avoid damaging the root ball.

 'Red Sentinel' gained The Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Merit in 1959 and the Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

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