2026 Bloom Season
4.15.26 Update
The crabapple collection should reach peak bloom the end of this week. Depending on weather conditions (heat and rainfall) peak bloom may extend through next week.
4.10.26 Update
Early signs of color are appearing the collection. The earliest selections (including 'Cowichan' 'Kelsey' and 'Sentinel') are in the first bloom stage. 'Spring Snow' is nearly in full bloom. Based on the forecast the collection may reach peak bloom in one week to one and a half weeks.
Here is a Secrest Arboretum–specific adaptation of the copy, written to fit an educational yet welcoming tone for visitors, home gardeners, and photographers who explore the grounds throughout the seasons.
Flowering Stages at Secrest Arboretum (Phenology)
Watching Plants Respond to the Seasons
One of the joys of visiting Secrest Arboretum is noticing how the landscape changes from week to week, and sometimes from day to day. Buds swell, flowers open, petals fall, and before you know it, a new season is underway. These seasonal shifts are part of phenology, the study of how plants respond to weather, climate, and the passage of time.
By paying attention to flowering stages, visitors can better understand the rhythms of the arboretum’s living collections—and learn when to catch plants at their most memorable moments.
What Are Flowering Stages?
Flowering doesn’t happen all at once. It unfolds in a series of recognizable stages influenced by temperature, daylight, and seasonal conditions here in northeast Ohio. These stages are easy to observe as you walk the paths, explore the gardens, or return to a favorite tree year after year.
Common Flowering Stages You’ll See at Secrest
Bud Formation
Flower buds begin to develop along branches and stems, sometimes long before flowers appear. This stage often goes unnoticed unless you’re looking closely.
Good to know: Bud formation is an early signal that spring is advancing—even if winter hasn’t fully let go.
Bud Break
Bud scales open and hints of color emerge. At Secrest, this phase can move quickly during warm spells or stall if temperatures dip.
Why it matters: Late frosts during bud break can affect blooms, making each season a little different.
First Bloom
The first flower opens on a plant, marking the official start of its flowering period.
Watch for it: First bloom dates are a favorite discovery for repeat visitors and phenology observers.
Peak Bloom
Most flowers are open at once, offering the fullest display of color, fragrance, and pollinator activity.
Photographers: This is the moment you’ve been waiting for—but it may only last a few days.
Flower Fade and Petal Drop
Blooms begin to fade and fall, and the plant shifts energy toward fruit or seed development.
Look again: Falling petals and fading flowers offer a quieter beauty—and often fewer crowds.
Why Flowering Phenology Matters Here
At Secrest Arboretum, observing flowering stages helps us:
- Understand how plants respond to changing weather patterns
- Compare bloom timing across years and collections
- Support research, teaching, and outreach
- Help visitors know when to expect seasonal highlights
For gardeners and photographers, these observations also help with planning—whether that’s timing a visit, anticipating peak bloom, or learning how plants behave in an Ohio climate.
A Living Calendar, Written by Plants
No two years are exactly alike. Some springs arrive early; others unfold slowly. By tuning in to flowering stages, you begin to read the arboretum as a living calendar—one shaped by temperature, daylight, and time.
Pause, look closely, and return often. The plants will tell you when the season is changing.
About the Research
Flowering crabapple trees (Malus spp. and cultivars) are widely cultivated and planted for ornamental purposes in the northeastern and mid-western regions of the United States and in southern Canada. The numerous species and cultivars display a diversity of sizes, shapes, bloom times, and colors of leaves, blossoms and fruits. Nurseries and plant breeders have tapped into this diversity and have produced and named more than 700 cultivars (Dirr, 1998; Fiala, 1994). With such a large pallet of character diversity, one could easily fit a crabapple or two into numerous different landscape scenarios.Unfortunately, there are diseases such as apple scab (Venturia inaequalis), bacterial fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), and frogeye leaf spot (Botryosphaeria obtusa) that can and do cause damage to crabapples. Damage from these diseases can range from slight aesthetic injury to death of the tree.
Apple scab is a significant aesthetic disease of crabapples. Apple scab impacts the aesthetic value of crabapples by producing olive-green to grayish to brown leaf spots, gray to brown lesions on the fruits, and when severe enough, leaf yellowing and leaf drop. Heavily infected, apple scabsusceptible crabapples are frequently defoliated by mid-summer. A major emphasis in crabapple breeding and selection is to find and propagate resistance to apple scab. National Crabapple Evaluation Project (NCEP) plots have been established in several locations in North America, one of which is located at The Ohio State University Secrest Arboretum on the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio. This collection represents the largest in the country with more than 700 crabapple trees.
Learn more about the research.
Bloom Time
The crabapples bloom annually at Secrest at about 200 Growing Degree Days (typically about the third week of April). Track the progress on the Ohio State Phenology Calendar.
Visiting the Collection
When visiting the crabapples please park in a designated parking area and not alongside the road.
2021 Crabapple Bloom
Learn more about a new rust fungus discovered at Secrest.
Read about Crablandia in Nursery Management Magazine (2022)
The crabapple collection includes the following selections:
- Malus × adstringens 'Jefgreen' Emerald Spire®
- Malus ×adstringens 'Simcoe'
- Malus ×adstringens 'Sissipuk'
- Malus ×gloriosa
- Malus ×gloriosa 'Oekonomierat Echtermeyer'
- Malus ×robusta 'Leucocarpa'
- Malus ×robusta 'Persicifolia'
- Malus ×scheideckeri
- Malus ×zumi 'Calocarpa'
- Malus ×zumi 'Wooster'
- Malus 'Adams'
- Malus 'Adirondack'
- Malus 'Amaszam' American Masterpiece™
- Malus 'Amerspirzam' American Spirit®
- Malus 'Amertrizam' American Triumph™
- Malus 'Amsalzam' American Salute™
- Malus baccata
- Malus baccata 'Jackii'
- Malus 'Bailears' Ruby Tears™
- Malus 'Ballerina'
- Malus 'Baskatong'
- Malus 'Beeson' May's Delight™
- Malus 'Beverly'
- Malus 'Bill's Red Flesh'
- Malus 'Bob White'
- Malus 'Branzam' Brandywine®
- Malus 'Burgundy'
- Malus 'Callaway'
- Malus 'Camzam' Camelot®
- Malus 'Canary'
- Malus 'Candymint Sargent'
- Malus 'Canterzam' Canterbury™
- Malus 'Cardinal'
- Malus 'Cardinal's Robe'
- Malus 'Cascole' White Cascade®
- Malus 'Centennial'
- Malus 'Centzam' Centurian®
- Malus 'Chestnut'
- Malus 'Chilko'
- Malus 'Chrishozam' Christmas Holly™
- Malus 'Cinzam' Cinderella®
- Malus 'Coralcole' Coralburst®
- Malus 'Cowichan'
- Malus 'Cranberry Lace'
- Malus 'Crimson Brilliant'
- Malus 'David'
- Malus 'Dolgo'
- Malus 'Donald Wyman'
- Malus 'Dorothea'
- Malus 'Doubloons'
- Malus 'Durleo' Gladiator™
- Malus 'Egret'
- Malus 'Ellen Gerhart'
- Malus 'Excazam' Excalibur™
- Malus floribunda
- Malus 'Fozam' Fox Fire™
- Malus 'Fridlund' Royal Gem™
- Malus 'Glen Mills' Winter Gem™
- Malus 'Golden Galaxy'
- Malus 'Guinzam' Guinevere®
- Malus halliana 'Parkmanii'
- Malus 'Hamzam' Hamlet®
- Malus 'Hargozam' Harvest Gold®
- Malus 'Henning'
- Malus 'Henry F. DuPont'
- Malus 'Hewes'
- Malus 'Hillier'
- Malus 'Hozam' Holiday Gold™
- Malus 'Hub Tures' Spring Sensation™
- Malus 'Huber' Royal Fountain®
- Malus 'Indian Magic'
- Malus 'Jarmin' Marilee®
- Malus 'Jay Darling'
- Malus 'Jeflite' Starlite™
- Malus 'Jewelberry'
- Malus 'Jewelcole' Red Jewel™
- Malus 'JFS KW139MX' Ruby Dayze™
- Malus 'JFS KW213MX' Raspberry Spear™
- Malus 'JFS KW214MX' Ivory Spear™
- Malus 'JFS KW218MX' Snow Crystal™
- Malus 'JFS-KW207' Sparkling Sprite®
- Malus 'JFS-KW5' Royal Raindrops®
- Malus 'Joy Morton' Morning Sun™
- Malus 'Kelsey'
- Malus 'Kinarzam' King Arthur®
- Malus 'Kirk'
- Malus 'Lanzam' Lancelot®
- Malus 'Leprechaun'
- Malus 'Leslie'
- Malus 'Little Troll'
- Malus 'Lollizam' Lollipop®
- Malus 'Louisa'
- Malus 'Lullaby'
- Malus 'Makamik'
- Malus 'Manbeck Weeper' Anne E™
- Malus 'Maria'
- Malus 'Mary Potter'
- Malus 'Masek'
- Malus 'Maypole' Colonnade®
- Malus 'Molazam' Molten Lava®
- Malus 'Mollie Ann'
- Malus 'Narragansett'
- Malus 'Oakes'
- Malus 'Orange Crush'
- Malus 'Ormiston Roy'
- Malus 'Park Centre'
- Malus 'Parrsi' Pink Princess™
- Malus 'Pink Beauty'
- Malus 'Pink Dawn'
- Malus 'Pink Satin'
- Malus 'Prairie Maid'
- Malus 'Prairifire'
- Malus 'Professor Sprenger'
- Malus 'Profusion'
- Malus 'Pumpkin Pie'
- Malus 'Purple Prince'
- Malus 'Purple Wave'
- Malus 'Radiant'
- Malus 'Ralph Shay'
- Malus 'Rawhide'
- Malus 'Red Barron'
- Malus 'Red Bird'
- Malus 'Red Jade'
- Malus 'Red Peacock'
- Malus 'Red Siberian'
- Malus 'Red Splendor'
- Malus 'Red Swan'
- Malus 'Ringo'
- Malus 'Robinson'
- Malus 'Rosseau'
- Malus 'Royal Beauty'
- Malus 'Royalty'
- Malus 'Royscezam' Royal Scepter™
- Malus 'Sarah'
- Malus sargentii
- Malus sargentii 'KNI B-9' Tina's Weeper™
- Malus sargentii 'Rosea'
- Malus sargentii 'Tina'
- Malus 'Scbrazam' Scarlet Brandywine®
- Malus 'Scugog'
- Malus 'Select A' Firebird®
- Malus 'Selkirk'
- Malus 'Sentinel'
- Malus 'Serenade'
- Malus 'Shotizam' Show Time™
- Malus sikkimensis
- Malus 'Silver Drift'
- Malus 'Silver Moon'
- Malus 'Sinai Fire'
- Malus 'Sirgazam' Sir Galahad® II
- Malus 'Snow Magic'
- Malus 'Snowdrift'
- Malus 'Sparkler'
- Malus spectabilis 'Riversii'
- Malus spontanea
- Malus 'Spring Snow'
- Malus 'Spring Song'
- Malus 'SproutFree' SproutFree®
- Malus 'Strawberry Parfait'
- Malus 'Sundog'
- Malus 'Sutyzam' Sugar Tyme®
- Malus 'Thunderchild'
- Malus transitoria 'Schmidtcutleaf' Golden Raindrops®
- Malus 'Uebo' April Showers™
- Malus 'Van Eseltine'
- Malus 'Velvetcole' Velvet Pillar™
- Malus 'Weepcanzam' Weeping Candied Apple®
- Malus 'White Candle'
- Malus 'Woven Gold'
- Malus 'Zumarang'