I'm not botanist, but I grew up in South. My memory is crabapple & persimmon trees were messy. When bearing fruit, had to pick up daily to stay ahead of it or rotting fruit attracts insects & critters.

Dogwood is beautiful and easy. Crabapples were named that for a reason! haha! Nasty messes.

Hi Charlene, both trees are have beautiful
blossom in the spring & are a good choice for a home garden, here's a few
pointers.

There are many species of crabapple &
dogwood and they vary in size, so choose a tree that won't grow to big for your
space (check the label!) I suggest you visit your local garden centers and ask
for advice.

How much sun do you get? Crabapples do best
in full sun (6 or more hours of full sun), whereas dogwoods thrive in partial
shade (3 - 6 hours including morning sun which is less intense than afternoon
sun).

Crabapple flowers are white, pale pink or
dark pink. The fruit may be red, yellow or orange, the color and size varies depending
on the variety. Dogwood flowers are yellow, white, pale pink or magenta pink, the
fruit is either red or pink and varies in size and shape.

Both trees are known for fall color.
Crabapple foliage may be yellow, gold, maroon, purple or bronze. Dogwood leaves
may be red, yellow or maroon. The fall color depends on the variety.

Both crabapple and dogwood fruit is eaten
by birds, you may see flocks of waxwings or robins on your crabapple in the
fall.

What type of soil do you have? Both trees
prefer a moist, slightly acidic soil. You can test your soil with a PH testing
kit or take a sample to your garden center for analysis.

When planting your tree, dig a hole at
least twice the size of the root ball and make sure the top of the roots are
fully covered with soil. Add leaf mulch and organic fertilizer to the planting
hole and water it well. After planting add a 2" layer of organic mulch to
retain water. Use lawn edging to create a 'tree ring' around the tree
(pictures below). This will prevent lawn turf from growing over the tree roots
and it keeps mulch and soil in place too. During the first few years, don't let
the trees dry out doing hot spells, keep them watered well.

I was just going to say the same thing. Yes, I think it depends on location.

Dogwoods dont do as well in bright all day sun. They can withstand sun if they have some cover from other trees or structures. I have two pink dogwoods in my front yard and one is doing better than the other because of their placement.

Same goes for Red Buds, which I love. I have two one in the back and it blooms two weeks before the one on the side yard. No particular reason I can see.