Image Alt

Plant Search

Browse our inventory of prairie-strong plants.
tree

Hardi-Mac Apple

Malus 'Hardi-Mac'

Add To My Plant List

 
Hardi-Mac Apple (Malus 'Hardi-Mac') at Eagle Lake Nurseries

Hardi-Mac Apple fruit

Hardi-Mac Apple fruit

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  20 feet

Spread:  20 feet

Sunlight:  full sun 

Hardiness Zone:  3a

Description:

A hardy, bright red apple with aromatic flesh and a distinctive flavor, ideal for baking or fresh eating; apples are high maintenance, and need a second pollinator; ideal for home landscapes, needs well-drained soil and full sun

Edible Qualities

Hardi-Mac Apple is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces red apples (which are botanically known as 'pomes') with white flesh which are usually ready for picking from late summer to early fall. The apples have a sweet taste and a crisp texture.

The apples are most often used in the following ways:

  • Fresh Eating
  • Baking

Features & Attributes

Hardi-Mac Apple features showy clusters of lightly-scented white flowers with shell pink overtones along the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive pink flower buds. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy red apples carried in abundance in late summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

  • Messy
  • Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Hardi-Mac Apple is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

  • Accent
  • Shade
  • Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Hardi-Mac Apple will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Accent  Shade  Orchard 
Applications
Flowers  Fruit 
Ornamental Features