This tree is small to medium sized, upright-spreading, and hardy. A very productive tree, it is resistant to scab but susceptible to fireblight. Golden Hornet is also self-fertile and an excellent pollenizer.

Golden Hornet is a popular choice for landscaping; its neat tapering shape, lavish bloom, and huge crops of conspicuous yellow fruits have made it a favorite. It is also widely planted among fruiting apple trees because its long-lasting display of white flowers is a prolific source of pollen for other late-blooming trees. One of the best of all the crabs, its branches bend under the weight of the fruit, which are excellent for jam and juice, or may be left on the tree where they will hang through the fall into winter.

Golden Hornet is a crabapple suspected to be from 19th century England and a possible chance seedling of Malus sieboldii var. Zumi. The Royal Horticultural Society awarded it their prestigious First Class Certificate in 1961.