Help me plant my crab apple ‘Gorgeous’

[pelargoniums]

I bought a budget crab apple tree from The Range for my front garden. It’s roughly 6’ with branches starting quite low, but also stopping quite low and the trunk/leader shooting off to the sky without branching out. Kind of Christmas tree shaped if the top went insane.

Hopefully the images are clear, if not I can move the pot to a neutral backdrop at lunch and try again.

Can I just reduce the leader at some point to encourage branching at the top, or will that stunt its height forever? Do I need to prune off the lowest branches for a clear stem or will it grow from the bottom – I'm great with plants but have no idea how trees work!

And I assume I can plant it at the same level it was potted at?

A couple of webpages from Gardeners' World:
planting
pruning.

I think the conclusion is IN TIME prune it to whatever size you want but WHEN NEWLY PLANTED keep pruning to the dormant season.
An alternate view (until a proper horticulturalist turns up): you can always chop bits off later but you can't sew them back on so, if in doubt, leave it!

Malus Gorgeous is usually grafted onto a semi-dwarfing rootstock. This controls and limits its eventual size and height.
It develops into a neat rounded crown, so I wouldn't prune it at least for the first few years. It should naturally round out to a pleasing shape over time. Only prune diseased or damaged stems.

For planting - look towards the base of the trunk - you might see a join or a bulge. This is the graft - it's important not to cover this with soil when planting or the semi-dwarfing rootstock might be overtaken by more vigorous roots, and you will end up with a different type of tree than the one you bought - something much bigger.

Also, as with most woody stemmed trees and shrubs, if you plant it too deeply below its previous level, the woody stem is likely to rot over time and kill the tree. Aim to plant at it's previous level.

Thank you both! I’m especially keen on this “don’t prune yet” plan because lazy.

I’ve dug the hole according to Monty’s guidance linked by @senua – cheers! Haven’t planted yet because digging the hole was enough in the sun today.

I know you're keen to plant the new tree in place, but I've always had greater success planting trees in the autumn rather than spring. Over the first summer I can control the amount of water it receives, and move it into the shade if necessary whilst it's still in its pot.
Come autumn when it's planted in the ground, it has time to establish its roots over winter ready for the new top growth in the spring. It seems to reduce the stress on the tree and it thrives better the following season..

I'm not sure if that's generally accepted advice, but it's what I've found works best.

No idea about the planting of the tree, but think of all the crab apple jelly you’ll be able to make in years to come.

@KnickerlessParsons That’s the dream!

Haven’t planted yet because digging the hole was enough in the sun today.
I'd give the tree a good drink overnight. Stick it in a bucket of water so it's hydrated before you put it in the hole. Then water again after you've planted. And keep looking after it all summer!