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Issue No. 89 - December 7, 2003
by Sue Sweeney
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Now that we've had our first BIG snow of the season,
keep the cold winds at bay by daydreaming about
fantastic little trees to plant next spring. There's
a plant category called "little flowering trees",
the gardening equivalent of "little black dresses".
In other words, they're good to have on hand, never
go out of style, and go with everything. And a
little flowering tree with edible fruit is like
wearing a little black dress with a single string of
pearls. |
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This is one of the many hawthorns in my neighborhood
in its spring formal wear, clearly showing its
kinship to the crabapple, wild plum, serviceberry
(shadblow), and other members of the rose family .
Hawthorns (crataegus species) have it all.
Pretty spring flowers; attractive summer foliage and
ripening fruit; colorful fall leaves and mature
fruit; interesting branches and bark.
The fruit comes in red, green, yellow, and,
down south in purple and blue. Bushes as
young as two and three years can bear fruit.
Many hawthorns hold their fruit well into
winter, providing nourishment for all the
usual suspects (birds, deer, raccoons,
rabbits, possum, skunk, fox, coyotes, etc.)
The flower pollen attracts butterflies, bees
and the like and makes good honey. |
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| An interesting thing about hawthorns is that no one
knows how many different kinds there are. Most experts agree
that many hawthorns are native to North America but then
give the numbers of native and non-native varieties, and
hybrids, at anywhere from under 100 to over 1000. The
problem is that many of the hawthorns all look pretty much a
like, even to the experts. |
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Most hawthorns have small, irregularly
toothed, alternating leaves, and dense,
crooked, horizontal branches (good for
nesting and hedges). Younger trees have
light gray bark; older olds develop
interesting age marks such as scales and
curling bark. The native plants have thorns
up to 4 inches. Some of the hybrids are
thornless. |
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The fruit is too sour and mealy for humans
to enjoy raw but we do use it in preserves
and liquors. Various parts of the plant are
used for medicinal purposes, particularly
coronary and vascular disease. Apparently,
they pack enough of a punch that only
trained professionals should use them.
Some say that hawthorn can be invasive in
pastures. As short-statured sun lovers,
hawthorns are clearly a species that has
been
enhanced by the Europeans cutting down a
good part of the North American forest to
make farmland. However, since hawthorns are
slow-growers, it's hard to see them as being
unmanageably invasive.
Like other roses, hawthorns like sun and
well drained soil, and are subject to a
number of pests such as leaf rust. However,
like with the other roses, please hold the 'cides
(pesticide, fungicide, etc.). The pests
might be annoying in a bad year (e.g.
unusually rainy) but they don't threaten the
tree's health or yours. The 'cides, on the
other hand, by definition, KILL stuff, like
your cat.
Unlike many rose family members,
hawthorns don't require acid soil; in fact
they aren't the least bit particularly about
soil nutrients, salt or pollution, including
auto exhaust, so they're a great city tree
that won't get tall enough to tangle with
the electric lines. |
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