Spring is in full swing and your Park is alive with color! As our deciduous trees spread new leaves and our tulips reach their tallest, the bright, dense flowers of our crabapple trees (Malus) expand a vibrant palette.
For many, there’s nothing that says “spring” quite like the blooming of crabapple trees, which flourish in the front lawns of homes all over the US. As American as apple pie, these trees produce fruit which can be made into pie—though here in your Park, we let the birds eat our crabapples come fall.
Bike our greenway by Pier 40, and you’ll find Malus “Prairifire” blooming above our flowerbeds. These deep pink blossoms brighten rainy spring days and are a delight against blue skies. The flowers initiate a year of colorful growth for these crabapple trees—from spring to summer, their glossy maroon leaves turn dark green with purplish veins, and they’ll grow deep bronze in autumn.
The crabapple trees blooming in Chelsea are equally stunning, though softer in hue. You can enjoy the fragrant white flowers of the Malus “Donald Wyman” in Chelsea Waterside and along Pier 64, where flowering crabapples on either side of the central walkway set the scene for dreamy springtime strolls.
Crabapples blossom just as the weather settles into lovely spring warmth—a perfect spring beckon to get out into your Park, and just in time for our spring Photo-Synthesis contest! So get your cameras ready, and be sure to tag your crabapple pictures #HudsonRiverPark on Instagram to enter.