NORMAN FLOWERING
CRAB
The Norman Flowering Crab was discovered on the farm of Norman Christianson
of rural Gary--not by Norman himself, but by his wife Mabel. Mabel
spotted a flowering crab in their windbreak row of Red Spendor seedlings
which seemed to have a nicer shape than the others. After Melvin raised
some himself, he realized that the bloom seemed to last longer on
the Norman than on the Red Splendor. That was verified when Melvin
passed away. The Red Splendor were in bloom on that day in May, but
had faded by the day of the funeral. The Norman Flowering Crab blooms
were still vivid, however, so they were used as bouquets in the church.
The Norman is more upright than most other flowering crabs, and
has a fall color which is completely unusual in flowering crab.
Due to the proliferation of flowering crab varieties on the market,
it is unlikely that the Norman will gain broad popularity. However,
gardeners who have gotten a hold of one do seem to enjoy the tree.
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