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Fred Chalfant is an Urban Forestry
Technician with TreeBaltimore,
within the Baltimore City
Department of Recreation and
Parks. He is an ISA Certifie
Arborist, TRAQ qualified A native
Baltimorean, Fred has a lifetime
passion for the city's trees.
Alex Smith is the owner of Division
Street Landscaping in Baltimore, and
an experienced horticulturalist with
an emphasis on the urban landscape
and workforce development. His path
to a career in horticulture of 15 years
thus far was a unique one. While in
prison, he helped create a horticulture
program that built greenhouses
and installed garden beds; the
program has since spread to other
prisons in the state of Maryland.
'Winter King' has similar flower and fruit features
to crabapples; however, it is often much heartier
in the urban environment, especially on the street.
It is cold hardy to USDA Zone 5a and has beautiful
white spring flowers, silvery bark, and bright red
winter fruit that, once winter-softened, will be con-
sumed by songbirds. Because it tops out at 25 to 30
feet (7.6 to 9.1 m), 'Winter King' is suitable for use
under utility wires. (It is a viable alternative to orna-
mental cherry trees, which Fred says are overplanted
along Baltimore streets with overhead wires.)
Alex and Fred note this cultivar's tolerance of dry urban
soils with a range of pH and some degree of soil com-
paction. However, 'Winter King' does not do well in
areas with high de-icing salt or lots of shade. Young
trees are readily available in nurseries; Alex and his
company oversaw new 'Winter King' street tree plant-
ings around Baltimore last year. Alex recommends the
following practices to set young 'Winter King' trees up
to thrive: pruning off thorns on lower branches, struc-
tural pruning, watering 20-25 gallons (76 to 95 liters)
once a week for at least two years, and mulching.
Silvery bark of maturing 'Winter King'.
Photo by David Stang, Wikimedia CC 4.0
'Winter King' flowers courtesy MOBOT Plant Finder.
Leaves, new fruit, and the odd thorn on 'Winter
King'. Photo by David Stang, Wikimedia CC 4.0
