Washington Hawthorn Trees Berries are one of the most beautiful trees in the world. These trees have the scientific name Crataegus. These trees have small cute fruits that look extremely attractive. These fruits are small red that resembles crabapples. These cluster fruits are not edible. Hawthorn trees are used all over the world for ornamental purposes. These trees do not have any strong fragrance. One amazing fa t about these trees is that they can be grown in poor soil with a weak drainage system.
This pretty tree remains green and fresh throughout the year. The hawthorn tree is one of the most perfect additions to any garden. It will make your garden look attractive with the perfect combination of fresh green leaves and small bright red miniature fruit. If you are intended to plant this beautiful tree in your garden then there are some crucial things that you should be aware of. These important things include its maintenance, care, characteristics, and much more. So let’s start a deep overview of Hawthorn trees.
Interesting Facts
To turn your curiosity into valuable knowledge we will discuss some important facts about Hawthorn trees.
Scientific Name:
This tree has a very famous scientific name Crataegus phaenopyrum.
Use:
This tree is used in the gardens mostly for ornamental purposes because its bright red fruit and green leaves give alive to any garden.
Blooming season:
The flowers of this tree bloom at the beginning of the summer season. These flowers are in the form of pure snow-like white clusters that look so fascinating and enchanting.
Fruits:
After a month the snow-like flowers turn into bright lively red small fruits that look stunning in the garden. These fruits stay on the stems of the tree throughout the winter. This is an amazing thing because in winters we strive for colors and flowers in the garden.
Minimal fall:
The small berry-like fruit is attached tightly to the tree that it didn’t fall at all. Hence there is a little bit of cleaning that a gardener has to do.
Some amazing features of the Hawthorn tree:
Let’s have a look at some exciting features that make this plant unique and worth buying.
Sharp thorns :
If you want to plant this tree in your garden then keep one thing in your mind that along with its beautiful fruit and fresh color this plant possesses sharp thorns. So you have to be very careful while trimming or cutting this plant. Because its thorns will make scratches and deep wounds on your skin. So it’s recommended to wear gloves and protective clothes while trimming this tree.
Colour transformation:
An amazing feature of this tree is that it will keep changing its color throughout the year.
In summer it will have a dark green trunk and leaves with snow like white flowers. While in winter its leaves will turn into reddish-orange color with beautiful red fruits that will remain the same throughout the winter.
Tolerance:
Mostly these trees have a high tolerance. Most of its varieties can easily tolerate rough and cold weather.
Size:
These trees can usually
grow up to 35 feet tall.
Varieties of Hawthorn trees:
There are so many variations in this tree. Some of these trees are.
- English Hawthorn
- Cockspur Hawthorn
- Thornless Hawthorn.
- Crimson Cloud Hawthorn
Propagation:
There are some important techniques that you must follow to propagate this tree and these are given below:
• Softwood cuttings:
Taking softwood cuttings is the best way to better propagate the Washington Hawthorn trees.
• Ideal Time for propagation:
The suitable time for propagating this tree is in the middle of summer in June towards July.
• Secure yourself from any mishap:
As it is essential to wear long sleeves short to protect your arms from thorny long branches. Additionally, gloves are also a good idea for securing your hands and fingers from dangerous punctures and scratches.
• Best Container for propagation:
The ideal container for propagation is the container that has a hole in the bottom which is helpful for appropriate drainage.
• Soil type and holes poking process:
To propagate this tree you should provide moist soil and make poke holes in the soil and then put each of the cutting in the hole. Besides that, cover the pot properly with a plastic bag and then seal it well in the bottom of the soil for making it moist and warm.
• Sunlight:
Place the tree in that area where it will receive indirect sunlight because direct light is not good for it so make sure to keep away it from direct sunlight.
• Seedling
The seedling of this plant normally starts after three months of its propagation process.
Care and Maintenance of Washington Hawthorn trees:
The growth of the Washington Hawthorn trees is easy and manageable as it does not require any big effort.
• Well, drain soil:
It is necessary to provide it well drain soil because it is good for its growth and its tree needs indirect sunlight.
• Fertilization:
The best thing about this tree is that you make less effort because it does not demand fertilization every other year.
• Watering:
It is best to water it once a week to keep the soil wet but make sure it will not become soggy because it is harmful to its roots.
• Can tolerate rough and dry soil:
The amazing quality of this tree is that it can tolerate the dry soil but not for a longer period so you should care about it and make it moist when required.
Prevention for Washington:
Some of the prevention are discussed below that you must take care of for the better growth of this plant let see below:
• Pests:
Washington Hawthorn trees may face some of the problems that are hurdles in its growth. So, it is important to check it before and try to remove these issues. Additionally, different types of pests attack it that including sawfly larvae, pear slugs, aphids. But in most cases, you can cure these pests by simply streaming water or spraying trees with a garden hose.
• Borer pest:
This is another type of pest but that can only harm weak trees as if your Washington Hawthorn trees is healthy then you don’t need to worry about it.
• Pruning of branches:
One most important thing is pruning of branches that are getting brown as it is beneficial for trees because in this way there is less of pests attack.
Pruning:
Washington Hawthorn is one of those plants that doesn’t need a lot of care and maintenance. But if this plant faces problems like rust, or leaf blight then you need to prune it immediately. In addition to this, if your Washington Hawthorn becomes overgrown and it looks ugly then pruning is essential. Because it is the right time to prune it and give it an attractive shape. This process should be done in an accurate way when Washington Hawthorn has gone dormant in the winter or fall season. Significantly, you are free to prune this plant at any time of the year to maintain its shape. At the end of the winter or the start of the spring remove diseased, damaged or branches that are growing in the cross are need to be cut.
Security Measures Before Pruning:
It is very essential to do security measures before Pruning Washington Hawthorn tree. The gardener should wear long sleeves shirts, heavy gloves, glasses for the safety of their eyes, etc.
Other interesting facts about the Washington Hawthorn Trees:
Beneficial As The Source Of Food:
There are various advantages of the Washington Hawthorn tree from which most individuals as unaware. Most types of Hawthorne trees can be pruned and reproduced as a bonsai. The berries that are produced on this tree are edible. And birds use such berries as the source of their food. These berries are edible for all living things but raccoons, rabbits, and squirrels love them. This beautiful plant attracts butterflies and birds. In addition to this, the Washington Hawthorn tree benefits individuals to make delicious jellies, sauces, and jams by using its mouth-watering berries. The leaves and flowers of this plant are also used to make salads for diets. The flowers and leaves of this plant can also be used in decorating fancy desserts.
Washington Hawthorn Wood:
The twisted knotty wood of this plant can be used to make crafts like walking sticks for a disabled person. It can also be used to make sculptures, fence posts and tool handles. The leaves of this tree don’t contain nicotine but are still used as tobacco in dried form. The roots of Washington Hawthorn
Washington Hawthorn Medical Uses:
Most importantly, this plant also has medical uses. In ancient times the berries of this plant are used to make wine to cure blood pressure. It also plays important role in overcoming cardiovascular system issues. This plant is also helpful for digestion.
Final thoughts:
So in a nutshell, it is not wrong to say that the Washington Hawthorn tree is a unique and useful addition to any landscape. It has pleasurable aesthetics due to which it makes your place like heaven. This plant is also famous because of its versatile nature due to which it can be shaped into bonsai etc. Significantly there are various uses of this plant. Washington Hawthorn is not only Beneficial as a medicine to cure many issues. But also used in making various things. In simple words, we can say that there are a lot of reasons due to which everyone should consider this plant to grow in their gardens or landscapes.