Created 30-Mar-10
Modified 24-Jan-24
Hawthorns (Crataegus x. mordenensis) make a nice compact tree well suited to most soil conditions and exposures.
Size & Characteristics: Hawthorns mature at approx. 3-4 m (10-13’) wide and approx. 4 m (13’) tall. Compared with other trees they are slow growing. They have glossy green leaves and clusters of double flowers in late May / early June. Fall color depending on the year is generally yellow. Some varieties have thorns but these aren’t generally a problem. Fruit is a red pome (like a little apple) and on the ornamental varieties its bird food. Fruit not eaten by birds dries up and falls off unobtrusively.
Varieties:
Toba – white flower turns to pink, some thorns
Snowbird – white flowers, thornless
Pests and Diseases: Nothing major but an occasional rust disease that has its alternate host on Juniper can make some nasty fungal type growth on some leaves. This is mostly an aesthetic problem and occurs infrequently even when Junipers are in the same garden.
© Clayton Ditzler
