Crataegus Species, Washington Hawthorn, Washington Thorn

For decades it has been the most popular hawthorn grown by nurseries in the Midwest and East. The Cockspur has been second. Since the tur...Read Moren of the century of 20th to 21st, the Winter King Green Hawthorn might eventually surpass this species in planting. The Washington species has significant thorns, but they are not bad, borne more on younger growth. It has great reddish fall color, nice white flower clusters in May, nice dark, shiny green, maple-like leaves, and bears lots of the scarlet berries borne from late September until the following April; Cedar Waxwings and other birds eat the fruit usually in March-April. It does not experience Cedar Rust Disease much as many American species of hawthorns can.

This tree is not without its faults. Sturdy soles on shoes are a must as it drops wicked thorns. The galls on it's stems are noticeable ...Read Moresome years. Trim it back if they get too bad. It's an attractive tree with white flowers in spring and bright red berries in fall. Best of all; it is a magnet for birds. Mine is frequented by robins, blue jays and cardinals. While 2-4 cardinals are common, one amazing day I counted 12 in it at one time! On snowy winter days it looks like a Christmas card when brilliant red cardinals grace its snowy branches. And on bleak winter days, the sight of the colorful birds brings so much cheer. Plant one close enough to a window to afford yourself the best views (remembering that they get 20+ ft. wide.) Delightful!

One of the least common grown of the two commonly planted species of Hawthorn here in Minnesota. Its lobed leaves gaves it away as Washin...Read Moregton Hawthorn while Crataegus crus-galli have non lobed leaves but comes in two variety - thorned and non thorned. The only difference into telling this species from other flowering small trees like Prunus, Malus, and other member of the Apple family is by the branching pattern which is distinct and look almost regular. It also doesn't grow rapidly, creating thick short branches over time. To contract the above statement, there is very few heavily flowering tree that is not immune to at least one major disease or have galls or spots. White Fringetree is a example of the few heavily flowering tree that doesn't get major diseases for zone 4 but prefer acidic soil.

I tried to grow these from seedlings, but gave up due to persistent unsightly fungus infections. It was "Quince rust" or "Cedar-quince ru...Read Morest". Removing the infected branches doesn't help, because the fungus lives on juniper as an alternate host, and the spores blow over and re-infect the Hawthornes. Regular fungicide spraying will keep it at bay, but I saw no need to sign on for a lifetime of that. There are many other small flowering trees without a fungus problem, so use one of them instead.