Winter King hawthorn

Sun

Full sun gives the best flowering, fruiting and autumn colour; tolerates partial shade.

Water

Moderate; water regularly while establishing. Established trees tolerate some drought and occasional wet soil, but not permanent waterlogging.

Soil

Adaptable to clay, loam or sandy soil with reasonable drainage; tolerates acidic to alkaline conditions.

Height

25-35 ft (7.6-10.7 m)

Spread

25-35 ft (7.6-10.7 m)

Flowers

Late spring; clusters of small white flowers, sometimes with an unpleasant scent.

Foliage

Glossy, dark green leaves with shallow lobes and toothed edges; autumn colour ranges from yellow and orange to red-purple.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

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

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Very tough

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

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   8 ft (2.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   9 ft (2.7 m)

4. After 3 years

   10 ft (3.1 m)

5. After 5 years

   12 ft (3.8 m)

About 20 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

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons, wetting the root ball and surrounding soil.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid routine high-nitrogen feeding, which encourages soft growth vulnerable to fire blight.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, and remove supports once the tree is firmly rooted.
• Remove shoots arising below the graft union so they do not replace the named cultivar.

Pruning. Prune lightly in late winter while dormant, removing dead, crossing or badly placed branches and developing a sound framework. Avoid heavy heading cuts; remove fire-blight-infected shoots in dry weather, cutting well below visible damage and disinfecting tools between cuts.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable, setting the root flare at ground level and watering thoroughly.

Late winter

Inspect the branch framework and prune out dead, damaged or crossing growth.

Spring

Refresh mulch and check that ties are not rubbing or constricting the trunk.

Late spring

Check flowers and young shoots for fire blight, especially after warm, wet weather.

Summer

Water young trees during dry spells and inspect leaves for rust or spotting.

Late autumn

Collect badly diseased fallen leaves; leave healthy fruit on the tree for winter display and birds.

• Use as a lawn specimen where its broad crown, winter fruit and mature bark can be seen.
• Place behind mixed borders with asters, coneflowers and ornamental grasses for late-season interest.
• Include in a wildlife garden with native shrubs, leaving room for its mature canopy.
• Use in a loose avenue or boundary planting where branches and occasional thorns will not obstruct paths.

Garden styles it suits: Traditional, English country, Wildlife garden, Winter interest, New England and Grand estate.

Plant it with: Oakleaf hydrangea, Virginia sweetspire, Purple coneflower, New England aster, Little bluestem and Christmas fern.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen and nectar for insects. Birds eat the fruits, often later in winter, and the branching crown offers nesting cover; hawthorns also support many leaf-feeding insects.

• Fire blight can blacken flowers and shoots, although this cultivar has useful resistance. Prune affected growth well below the damage in dry weather and avoid excessive nitrogen.
• Cedar-hawthorn rust and related rusts can cause orange leaf spots or distorted fruit. Avoid overhead watering; if damage is severe and recurring, seek locally approved preventive treatment timed to spring growth.
• Leaf spot can cause premature leaf fall in wet seasons. Collect infected leaves and maintain an open canopy with good air circulation.
• Aphids may curl young leaves and produce sticky honeydew. Wash small colonies off with water and conserve ladybirds and other predators.

Not generally regarded as toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Fruit flesh is not considered poisonous, but hawthorn seeds contain cyanogenic compounds, so avoid chewing or deliberately eating seeds, especially in quantity. Occasional thorns can cause puncture injuries.

• Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)

  Usually has more sharply triangular, deeply lobed leaves and numerous long thorns; Winter King has shallower leaf lobes and relatively few thorns.

• Cockspur hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli)

  Has leathery, mostly unlobed leaves that broaden toward the tip. Typical plants have conspicuous long thorns, although thornless cultivars exist.

• Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

  Has much more deeply divided leaves and fruits usually containing one hard seed-bearing stone; green hawthorn fruits generally contain several.

Crataegus comes from the Greek word for strength, referring to the hard wood, viridis means green, and 'Winter King' refers to the tree's conspicuous winter fruit display.

Propagation. Usually propagated by budding or grafting onto compatible hawthorn rootstocks. Seedlings do not reliably retain 'Winter King' characteristics, and seed can be slow to germinate.

Accepted botanical name

Crataegus viridis

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and Missouri.

Measured

Average height 914 cm.

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