Medlar

Sun

Full sun for the best fruit; tolerates partial shade with lighter cropping.

Water

Water regularly while establishing and during prolonged dry spells; established trees tolerate some drought.

Soil

Moist but well-drained soil, preferably reasonably fertile; tolerates clay and chalk provided drainage is adequate.

Height

13-20 ft (4-6 m)

Spread

13-20 ft (4-6 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; large, single white flowers borne at shoot tips.

Foliage

Long, dull-green leaves with softly hairy undersides, turning yellow to russet-brown in autumn.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   7 ft (2.2 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.6 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant while dormant, keeping the graft union above soil level.
• Water deeply during dry weather for the first two growing seasons.
• Apply an organic mulch each spring, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Stake young trees on exposed sites and remove the stake once the roots hold firmly.
• Use a modest balanced feed in spring only if growth is weak; excessive nitrogen encourages leafy growth rather than fruit.

Pruning. Prune lightly in late winter, removing dead, damaged and crossing branches to maintain an open crown. Avoid routinely shortening shoot tips, where flowers and fruit develop.

Pick the brown fruit in late autumn when it detaches readily; a light frost can help, but is not essential. Lay sound fruit in a single layer in a cool, frost-free place for roughly 2-4 weeks, until the flesh is uniformly soft and brown with a sweet, spiced aroma; discard mouldy or foul-smelling fruit. Grafted trees usually give their first worthwhile crop about 3-5 years after planting.

Late autumn

Harvest mature fruit and set it aside to blet.

Winter

Plant dormant trees when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.

Late winter

Remove damaged or crossing branches and check tree ties.

Spring

Mulch over the root area, keeping the trunk clear.

Late spring

Check tender shoots for aphids and avoid spraying open flowers.

Summer

Water young trees during dry spells and remove any rotting fruit.

• Use as a small specimen tree in a lawn, allowing room for its broad, irregular crown.
• Plant beside a kitchen garden for fruit, spring blossom and autumn colour.
• Include in a mixed orchard with apples, pears and quinces.
• Underplant with spring bulbs and low groundcover, leaving a clear mulched area around young trunks.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Cottage garden, Backyard orchard, Edible landscape, Potager (kitchen garden) and Food forest.

Plant it with: Crocus, Snowdrops, Wild strawberries, Chives, Cranesbill geraniums and Quince.

Wildlife: Open flowers provide pollen and nectar for insects. The crown offers shelter for birds, and unharvested softened fruit may be eaten by birds and mammals.

• Aphids can curl young leaves: encourage natural predators and wash small colonies off with water.
• Brown rot can spoil fruit: remove affected fruit promptly and clear any shrivelled fruit left on the tree.
• Fire blight can blacken blossom and shoots in affected regions: cut out infected growth well below visible damage, disinfect tools and follow local plant-health guidance.
• Poor cropping can follow shade, excessive nitrogen or repeated tip-pruning: provide more sun where possible, reduce feeding and retain healthy shoot tips.

Bletted fruit flesh is edible for people and is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or horses. The hard seeds contain cyanogenic compounds and should not be chewed or crushed for eating; swallowing whole fruit or seeds also presents a choking or blockage risk for pets.

• Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

  Sometimes called Japanese medlar, loquat is evergreen with large, leathery, strongly ribbed leaves and yellow-orange fruit; medlar is deciduous with brown fruit.

• Quince (Cydonia oblonga)

  Quince has much larger yellow, fragrant, apple- or pear-shaped fruit; medlar fruit is smaller and brown with a conspicuous open, star-shaped calyx.

Mespilus comes from the ancient Greek name for medlar, while germanica means 'of Germany', although the tree's native range lies farther southeast.

Propagation. Named varieties are usually grafted or budded onto compatible rootstocks, commonly quince or hawthorn. Seed germination is slow and irregular, and seedlings may differ from the parent and take many years to fruit.

Accepted botanical name

Mespilus germanica

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.