Photo of hawthorn. Hawthorn is a storehouse of vitamins in the garden: planting and care. Growing hawthorn: photo

Hawthorns are large shrubs and small trees with thorny branches, usually blooming with white flowers in May - June. This is a perennial plant, the average age of some species reaches three hundred years. In autumn, these small trees are decorated with bright, most often red, fruits. The fruits of semi-soft hawthorn (C. submollis) are especially impressive.

The best varieties of hawthorn of different types: photos and descriptions

There are forms with double, pink and red flowers, for example, ‘Toba’. Take a look at what this variety of hawthorn bushes look like in the photo:

Many other species of this plant deserve attention.

So, the type is pistillate ( S. monogyna) has many decorative forms

Daursky ( S. dahurica) It is distinguished by graceful foliage that turns purple in autumn, etc.

These hawthorns are considered the best varieties for creating an aesthetically pleasing garden plot.

These small, thorny plants are unpretentious, drought- and winter-hardy, and grow in almost any soil in sun or partial shade. They tolerate pruning well, which allows you to adjust the size and shape of the crown. You can grow them as tapeworms, especially in standard form. Suitable for creating groups, including mixed ones.

This is a plant that has many species. It can be found in different countries. Many people think that it only has healing properties and is not used in gardens to create compositions. But this is far from true. There are quite a lot of varieties of hawthorn - an ornamental shrub.

In Eurasia, the following types of this plant are often found:

Siberian (blood red)

Common (spiny)

Altaic

Soft

Ukrainian

Mono-pistil

Let's look at the external features of some varieties and species of hawthorn.

Blood red or the Siberian species is a shrub or low tree, no more than 4 m high. The branches of the plant have rare but fairly large spines (up to 5 cm). The first fruits appear only after 7 years. It blooms for a very short time, no more than 5 days, from May to June. At the same time, the color emits a rather unpleasant odor. The berries of the plant ripen by September. They are edible, sour in taste, round in shape, up to 8 cm, and have up to 4 seeds. The plant is resistant to frost and drought. Lives for a very long time - up to 300 years or more. This species is ideal for creating hedges.

Look what this variety of hawthorn looks like in the photo.

Green meat variety It is distinguished by white flowers with dark stamens. The berries of this bush are black in color, but have green flesh. Edible and delicious. The spines of the plant reach one and a half centimeters. It grows wild in the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka, Russia. This species does not propagate by cuttings. For this, seeds are used, and grafting is carried out to preserve varietal qualities.

Common hawthorn just like the previous variety, it grows in the form of a bush or small tree, reaching 5 m in height. But the berries of this variety are very small - no more than 10 mm in diameter. The plant grows very slowly. But it does not require good soil, can grow well in shady places, and tolerates the formation of a crown by cutting. Therefore it can also be used to create natural hedges.

Look at the types of hawthorn hedges in the photo:

In addition, quite a few varieties of the common hawthorn have been bred, which have a beautiful color:

Paul Scarlet(double flowers with a pink-white tint)

Bicolor(with white petals in the middle and red edges),

Mono-pistil Unlike the above-mentioned varieties, it is characterized by rapid growth. On average, it lives more than 200 years and has the appearance of a tree, reaching 6 m in height. The branches have small spines, which are located quite rarely from each other. After pruning, it forms many young shoots.

Soft hawthorn has bright orange berries, very tasty. The tree reaches a height of 8 m. The crown is dense, spherical. The plant has many thorns on its branches. It bears fruit in the 8th year of its life. The flowers are snow-white. Due to its leaves and lush crown, it is widely used as an ornamental plant. How to propagate this hawthorn? Seeds or cuttings. Both of these methods give germination rates up to 50%.

There are quite a lot of hawthorns. Types and varieties can also be viewed in the photos below:

Growing and caring for hawthorn: how to plant a bush

It has already been mentioned that hawthorn does not require special care. Many varieties, as their descriptions say, are quite resistant to prolonged drying out of the soil, severe frosts, and shade. Before planting hawthorn, you don’t have to think about the quality of the soil, etc. But keep in mind that the plant has the same pests as apple, plum and pear trees, so it is better to plant it away from these fruit crops.

In addition, before planting and further caring for the plant, you need to understand for yourself the purpose for which you are growing it. If you want to get valuable fruits, then choose a sunnier place, but if you are more interested in the decorative features of this plant, then shade or partial shade is quite suitable.

It is also important that if a gardener plans to get a good and strong plant with beautiful colors and berries, he should still pay attention to what hawthorn likes, propagation methods and the intricacies of caring for it.

Here are some features of plant care:

1. Trimming. When growing and caring for a plant, it is necessary to remove dead and diseased branches. In addition, pruning can have not only sanitary functions, but also decorative ones. With its help, you can form a crown of the required shape. To do this, it is necessary to trim living branches, leaving 2/3 of the shoot. Pruning is carried out in the spring.
2. Fertilizing the soil. This is not a mandatory part of the program. But some gardeners recommend including feeding with slurry. In the first few years after planting and during the period of caring for it in open ground, hawthorn does not require fertilizer. It is appropriate to do this in the period before flowering.
3. Watering. Here it is necessary to focus on the climate where the crop grows. Planting and further caring for the plant does not require too wet soil. In the spring and autumn months, once every 30-40 days is enough, but each plant should be filled with up to 15 liters of water. In the dry summer months, you can increase the frequency of watering to once every 15-20 days. If there is enough rainfall in the year, then hawthorn can develop well without additional irrigation.
4. Weed control and soil hilling. It is enough to loosen the soil twice a year - in spring and autumn, by digging up the soil around the plant with the bayonet of a shovel. This can be done in the summer, but during this period the depth should not be more than 20 cm. Remove weeds from the area where the hawthorn grows in a timely manner.

These are the basic principles of care that must be taken into account for any variety and type of hawthorn. By following them, you will protect the plant from most diseases, and the tree itself will look very beautiful.

Hawthorn propagation: how to plant seeds

Many gardeners think about how to grow hawthorn correctly, who want to get a good plant that retains all its maternal varietal qualities. Unfortunately, not all methods of propagating hawthorn shrubs, even with proper planting and care, can lose the distinctive features of their species. Therefore this should be taken into account.

Loss of varietal qualities most often occurs when hawthorn is propagated by seeds. Therefore, this method of cultivation is often used when preparing seedlings to create hedges, where varietal qualities are not so important.

The fruits of the plant have a thick skin. Choose ripe, healthy berries. Before planting hawthorn using its seed, it is necessary to harden it (stratification). The process is long and can take up to a year. This is done by keeping the plant seeds at a temperature of +1 to +3 degrees. It is better if such hardening lasts at least 3 months.

The hardened seeds are placed in the ground quite close to each other, since their germination rate is low. In some cases, the first shoots can be seen only after 2 years, since the plant develops very slowly. Weak sprouts are removed.

Leave the young shoot for another 2 years. During this period it will grow up to half a meter. It must be cut to 3 buds, counting from the ground. If during this time many side shoots have appeared, they are removed, leaving no more than two.

How to grow hawthorn: propagation by cuttings

Propagation of hawthorn by cuttings is the main method that allows you to preserve the varietal qualities of the mother plant. Carefully dig up the bush. Select a good and healthy root. Its thickness should not be less than 2 cm. It must be cut into pieces about 10 cm long. The resulting cuttings are laid in the ground, dug in, leaving about 30-50 mm above the ground. All these manipulations can be done in spring or autumn. But the planted material needs to create a greenhouse effect using a jar or plastic film. Ventilate the cuttings from time to time and water if necessary. The ripening period for good seedlings ready for transplantation also varies within 2 years.

Remember that sharp thorns on bushes are an excellent opportunity to create a hedge on your property. To do this, planting hawthorn and caring for it after propagation should be done in holes measuring 0.5 by 0.5 m. The distance between each seedling is about half a meter. Humus can be placed at the bottom of the prepared holes. Watering is carried out as the soil dries for another 2 weeks. Next, moistening is carried out as in an adult plant.

How to propagate hawthorn by layering

Hawthorn can also be rooted by layering. To do this, carry out the following manipulations:

• take a young branch from the mother bush;
• place it in the prepared depression in the ground;
• secure and cover with earth, leaving about 10 cm of branches.

In about a year or two you will get a sprout that retains all the varietal qualities of the mother hawthorn. Agronomic cultivation techniques may include cuttings with green young sprouts. But this type is used very rarely, since rooting does not always give a good result.

If within 2 years your cutting has not reached the required height (up to 60 cm), you can leave it for another year. Such manipulations with hawthorn can be carried out until it reaches 4 years of age. Further, its root system grows very quickly, and it is almost impossible to dig it out without damaging the root.

Hawthorn diseases

Powdery mildew, rust, fomoz, rot - this is not the entire list of diseases that a plant can suffer from. From time to time it is necessary to inspect the bushes for signs of damage. When the foliage of the trunks changes, it is necessary to take immediate measures against the disease, otherwise the decorative effect will be lost. To combat, circumcision of the affected areas is used, which should then be burned.

To minimize possible damage, it is necessary to plant the plant in a well-ventilated area and treat the plant with 1% colloidal sulfur from time to time.

Hawthorn is a plant that has aesthetic and beneficial functions. Not only berries, but also branches and leaves of some species are used as medicine. Having a hawthorn in your garden means getting a beautiful perennial plant with a minimum of effort in caring for it.

Crataegus monogyna
Photo by Olga Blokhman

It grows wildly in the central and southern regions of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. In terms of biological characteristics and the nature of its use, it is close to prickly hawthorn, from which it differs in rapid growth and the presence of pinkish flowers. Lives up to 200-300 years. In cultivation it is found mainly within its natural range, and also occasionally in Siberia and Central Asia. In culture, it goes north to the St. Petersburg line - Vologda, and in the south there are its plantings in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and also in Western Siberia. Light-loving mesophyte, microtherm, mesotroph, assectator of shrub cenoses and, less frequently, undergrowth. Protected in nature reserves.

Tree 3-6 m tall, sometimes in favorable conditions it reaches 8-12 m. The crown is quite symmetrical, rounded-tent-shaped. The shoots are bare, the old branches are brownish-gray. The spines are few, up to 1 cm long. Leaves are ovate or rhombic, 3.5 x 2.5 cm. Inflorescences of 10-18 flowers. The fruits are round, up to 0.7 cm, with one seed. Fruits from the age of 6 years.

This type is less demanding on temperature and humidity conditions and therefore can be used in areas with a more continental climate. This hawthorn has long been used in gardens and parks, in alley plantings, and in hedges. It tolerates shearing well and has great shoot-forming ability. The most decorative forms are those with double white and pink flowers.

In GBS since 1950, 5 samples (and copies) were grown from seeds obtained from various botanical gardens. At 42 years old, the height is 7.3 m, the trunk diameter is I cm. It grows from 7.V ± 7 to 11.X ± 8 for 156 days. The growth rate is average. It blooms for 16 days from 2.VI ± 6 to 18.VI ± 4. The fruits ripen on 22.IX ​​± 8. Winter hardiness is average. Seed viability 93%, germination 12%. When treated with phyton, 96% of cuttings take root.

Rosea Flora Pleno
Photo by EDSR.

It is notable for the abundance of very decorative garden forms, among which the most common are: pyramidal(f. stricta) - tree with a pyramidal crown; weeping(f. pendula) - with branches pubescent downwards; pink weeping(f. rosea pendula) - weeping with pink flowers; crimson(f. punicea) - with dark red single flowers; pink(f. rosea) - pink flower petals with white stripes; white terry(f. albo-plena) - with white double flowers; red terry(f. rubra-plena) - with red double flowers; always blooming(f. semperflorens) - a low, graceful shrub that blooms all summer until autumn; split-leaved(f. laciniata) - with feathery, deeply dissected leaves; white-motley(f. argentea-variegata) - with white-variegated leaves; thornless(f. inermis) - branches without thorns, flowers are ordinary, white. By hybridizing smoothed and single-pistillate hawthorns, the variety " Rosea Flore Pleno"(see photo) with dark pink double flowers, freezes over in severe winters at the latitude of St. Petersburg.

"Plena" - Tree up to 6 m tall. Widely found in cultivation. Highly decorative due to white double, later pink flowers. In GBS since 1967, 1 sample (1 copy) was grown from seeds of GBS reproduction. At 25 years old, height 4.4 m, trunk diameter 7 cm. Phenological development coincides with the main species. Growth rate is average. Winter hardiness is below average. It is propagated by grafting.

Garden forms grafted onto a standard are used in single plantings in the foreground, in groups and row plantings. In high-standard form - in urban street plantings. In culture since 1880.

Hawthorn is a fairly tall (up to 3 m) shrub characterized by slow growth. The leaves are alternate, pinnate or toothed, with stipules. The branches have large spines. It blooms in late May - early June with white-pink small flowers collected in loose corymbose inflorescences.

Varieties with double flowers have been bred. The fruits are brown or yellow-red, ripening by the end of August. Edible. The pulp contains vitamins C, P, carotene and organic acids.

Hawthorn is quite unpretentious, but prefers loam or clayey medium-fertile calcareous soil. Grows best in sunny areas. Winter-hardy and drought-resistant.

This shrub has beautiful and rather large graceful leaves, a densely branched crown and numerous flowers similar to those of an apple tree, which appear in late May-early June. In autumn, the small lobed leaves often turn bright orange-red tones.

And yet, the main value is the tasty and healing fruits of hawthorn, which ripen in August-September, and some types (prickly or ordinary) in October.

Hawthorns are deciduous tall shrubs or small trees. There are species with very beautiful double raspberry-pink flowers.

Many types of hawthorn can be used as fruit plants: Arnold, softish, Holmes, Champlain, Elvanger, blood-red and others. They are distinguished by large fruits with a fairly high content of ascorbic acid and carotene, an average amount of polyphenols, and are pleasant to the taste.

Of these species, the softest hawthorn is the most valuable. In the conditions of Minsk it is winter-hardy, bears fruit annually, and abundantly. These species can be recommended as a fruit crop. Their fruits are suitable for use in fresh and dried form. Juice and syrup, jam and compote are prepared from them.

Hawthorn is distinguished by longevity - it can live up to 400 years. The shrub is readily used by decorators and landscapers to create single and group plantings and undergrowth. Against a dark green background of coniferous trees, garden forms with brightly colored flowers are spectacular. Thanks to dense branching, the presence of woody spines and the ability to tolerate heavy pruning, hawthorns are indispensable for creating hedges.

Some species, distinguished by their strong shoot-forming ability, can be used to stabilize soils susceptible to water erosion.

Almost all types of hawthorn are photophilous. They are demanding on soil conditions, although some are able to develop successfully on poorer, dry soils.

The plant is propagated by seeds and vegetatively. Since in most species the seeds have a thick skin and are characterized by deep dormancy, seedlings usually appear after one and a half to two years. Therefore, it is recommended to sow after a year of seed stratification. Garden forms are propagated by grafting. Plants bear fruit from 10-12 years of age.

Use of hawthorn For medicinal purposes, the flowers and fruits of hawthorn are used. Flowers are collected at the beginning of flowering and quickly dried in a well-ventilated area, fruits - in the fall when they are fully ripe.

Hawthorn preparations tone the heart muscle and at the same time reduce its excitability, regulate heart rhythm, preventing and eliminating arrhythmia, improve coronary and cerebral circulation, increase the sensitivity of the heart to cardiac glycosides, regulate the tone of the vascular system, normalize blood pressure, reduce the excitability of the nervous system, improve dream.

Hawthorn is described in many ancient herbalists as a remedy for heart disease, insomnia, dizziness and shortness of breath. Ancient manuscripts have been preserved that tell us that even in Ancient Rus', hawthorn was used in folk medicine. During the Great Patriotic War, hawthorn fruits were used as a substitute for heart medications that were then in short supply.

In folk medicine, teas made from hawthorn flowers are widely used. 1 tsp. flowers pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. Drink during the day in four doses. Hawthorn berries are a valuable remedy for weakening cardiac activity. They especially help with fatigue of the heart muscle with nervous excitement, as well as with sclerotic phenomena in the vessels. To strengthen the heart muscle and improve health, 1 tbsp is recommended. l. Boil hawthorn fruits in 1 liter of water for 30 minutes. Take 0.5 tbsp. before bedtime. The same decoction is good to drink for intestinal diseases, which are accompanied by diarrhea and flatulence.

Diseases and pests of hawthorn

Hawthorn is a host plant for a very large number of pests - fruit sawfly, apple flower beetle, hawthorn fruit leaf beetle, cherry weevil, hawthorn gall midges, bud mite, hawthorn psyllid, aphids, maple mealybug, acacia false scale, several scale insects, moths, moths, lancets , pear mite, apple and wrinkled sapwood.

Among the fungal diseases on this plant, fruit mummification, powdery mildew, spotting, rust, blackhead, and central trunk rot are common. Hawthorn is also damaged by nematodes.

Contraindications for the use of hawthorn

The famous ancient physician Avicenna, observing in practice the effect of hawthorn fruits, noted their undesirable properties: not a single fruit strengthens the stomach as much as hawthorn. In addition, it slows down bile secretion. Therefore, for those with liver disease, hawthorn is contraindicated, since it promotes stagnation of bile in the liver and bile ducts.

It is not always indicated for people with kidney and stomach diseases; it can cause colic.