Thank you for posting this fantastic sequence, Wolfgang! I would be interested in seeing more of your trees.
Some things I have learned about crabapple
[*]I planted a couple dozen varieties of crabapple in the ground a few years ago and they are growing very well. We live in a suburb in a former orchard, so the ground is very good for fruit trees.[*]The interesting shapes they had when they went in have all been absorbed in the rapid growth of the trunk. So I see that they will need a lot of reshaping. Some trees had "apexes" I selected that were rapidly outgrown by competing branches in a matter of weeks.[*]Some of the crabapples have nasty thorns.
Others are admired for their flowers and don't set fruit at all.[*]There is a very nice book on flowering crabapples. When I find it again I will be sure to buy it.[*]I had an interesting tree called a Korean Crabapple for some time. It was one of my first bonsai. It has trident shaped leaves and simple white flowers.
Regards,
Matt