Plant Type

Tree

 

Height Range

25-40'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

Red

 

Fruit Season

Fall

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees, Thorns/Spines

Design Styles

English Cottage, Ranch, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Hedge, Screen

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Washington Hawthorn is a deciduous tree growing about 25 to 30 feet tall and wide. It has a broadly rounded crown, densely branched and thorny. New foliage emerges reddish-purple, ages to deep green, and turns orange to scarlet in the fall. White flowers appear in the spring and are followed by glossy red fruit in late summer and fall. It is sometimes grwon as a shrub; it makes an effective barrier.

Hawthorns grow in full sun to part shade, in any well drained soil. They tolerate clay, loamy, or sandy soils; pH adaptive. Very twiggy; prune in late winter to early spring when structure is most apparent (see Guides); shearing makes them more twiggy.