Can I ask about the crab apple tree issues - I did consider the wild crab apple, but had to discount it to due to the mature spread. It did seem like a really good choice for a tree though, partucularly for a wildlife garden...
My spider alley arrived today - not too much to look at yet but only around 5ft. I was concerned to see that the apical shoot(?) had been cut off to facilitate shipping - the nursery assures me that this should not prevent the tree from reaching it's normal shape over time - I really hope that's correct...
I fully understand the comments about this cultivar being rather unnatural - being a wildlife gardener of sorts, I had real difficulty with that myself. However, seeing mature-ish specimens of these at the garden centre puts my mind at ease - in the flesh they're rather beautiful - much less like a birch in a straight-jacket, than say eg. fastigiated birch (no offence Monty..). It also seems that the zig-zaggyness becomes less obvious with age.
I think the contorted-ness of Spider Alley looks sympathetic to the natural form of birch trees, particularly the ones you see growing on moorland (like the ones below in the Peak District). On moorland the poor soil (and lack thereof) also limits the size of the trees so if you are concerned about eventual size, you could starve them and reduce their root run....
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
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This will determine how large your tree grows.
M stands for Malling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malling_series#/media/File:Applerootstock.png
eg .
M27 will give you a tiny tree.
M25 a huge tree.
pics below show a young Malus x robusta Red Sentinel.
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