In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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November 7, 2007

Appreciating hawthorns

Twice a year, I absolutely adore hawthorns: first when they bloom in spring and the entire tree is covered with clusters of tiny white or pink flowers; next in fall when the leaves turn to flame, and the flower clusters have turned into bright red berries that hang from the tree like neon lights. Never mind the thorns that come along with the tree, or the fact that it likes to throw up water sprouts and wild growth that must be trimmed away each spring and summer.

A member of the rose family, hawthorns tolerate a wide variety of soils as long as it is well drained. The Sunset Western Garden Book says “it’s best to grow them under somewhat austere conditions, since good soil, regular moisture, and fertilizer promote succulent new growth that is particularly susceptible to fireblight.”

Sunset says the Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum, pictured) is the preferred street or lawn tree and the least prone to fireblight. Most hawthorns grow 15 to 25 feet tall and as wide. The English hawthorn has long been popular, with varieties like Paul’s Scarlet (double red flowers), Crimson Cloud, Double White and Double Pink. There’s even an American native, the green hawthorn (C. viridis) that is native to the northeastern portion of the U.S. It's said to be the most trouble-free hawthorn.

Now is the time to shop for hawthorns at your local nursery. Forestfarm, a mail order firm that sells plants from around the world has an extensive list of hawthorns.

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