By Szczerba
United Kingdom 
Hello. I have an ornamental crab apple tree in our smallish garden. We planted it ourselves about 32 years ago. The blossom is quite beautiful every year but the last two years after flowering the leaves start to turn a chestnut brown, shrivel up and drop off all summer until the leaves completely fall in autumn. Is it deseased and can it be cured or should it be removed?
29 May, 2017
Answers
The lifespan of crabs can vary between 30 and 60-70 years depending on variety and rootstock, so it doesn't look good for yours.
29 May, 2017
Quite right Steragram. We do expect our trees and shrubs to go on forever which isn't the case.
29 May, 2017
....Like us then!
29 May, 2017
If you are sentimental about its flowering leave it be. I have two ornamental cherry trees that are on the way out but they continue to flower so beautifully in the spring and that is something my late wife looked forward to every year. Aside from sentimentality, if the tree leaf drop is making the surrounding are look trashy and the tree itself unsightly, you might consider its removal. It is an older tree and whatever it has will be very difficult to eradicate.
29 May, 2017