Washington hawthorn

This is one of 10 Arbor Day trees ordered in 2006. There were two of these hawthorns. The other one is in my front yard and about 15 feet tall.

This is a nasty, uncooperative tree -- in part since I've forced it to grow in a manner that it is 100% not suited for, but also because of the billy-be-damned thorns beside EVERY leaf ( it IS a hawthorn, after all) and the fact that it is a magnet for fireblight. If I were starting new trees at this point in my life, none of them would be Washington hawthorns (Crataegus phaenopyrum, a species native to the Eastern USA).

I spent 2 hours this morning pruning out all hints of fireblight (caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora) and cleaning my scissors and hands with alcohol. SO FAR it has never passed the blight on to my little split trunk pear, though I've had it passed on to Pyracantha.

The natural growth of the Washington haw seem to be arrow straight and straight UP. As you can see I haven't allowed that.

Whoever ends up with this tree, I'm going to recommend it be ground planted in some obscure corner of a large lot well away from all pome fruits. It's too much work as a bonsai.

I've often wondered why the Arbor Day folks who prepare those packages of 10 trees for new members would partner the Washington haw with a couple of crabapples. (Or why they include Alianthis -- the so-called Tree of Heaven -- which should be forced into extinction because it is such a pernicious invasive plant.)

Anyway . . .

The tree:


The thorns:

nice leaves though...

First thing I do when prepping my hawthorns for winter pruning and wiring is: cut all the thorns off.

I've got a couple of Washington Hawthorns that I grew from seed so it'll be interesting in seeing how they develop. Lots of pruning no doubt to get rid of those straight growth characteristics.

Good luck with yours!

JT

First thing I do when prepping my hawthorns for winter pruning and wiring is: cut all the thorns off.

Yup. I used to do that. Today, it is all I can do to lift this one and carry it in somewhere so I can do ANY work on it. It and most of my other trees spend their days in total unkemptness at this stage of my life. If I'm lucky I can bring in one a day and get some work done on it.

I just now brought my pear inside. Mind you, I had defoliated it once this year. I'll do my best to get some work done on it later this afternoon.

Looking forward to seeing this tree after your work Jim.

This is a bit better, I think. It needs some wiring, but shaky hands don't do that so well anymore -- especially with leaves.



Yup. One of those triangular trees.

Tree has been in a pot since 1995.

JimLewis wrote:Yup.  One of those triangular trees.

jim - when i come down in october i will be in the company of 1 or 2 of our AAC guys, so make a "to-do" list and we'll get 'er done !

Nice pruning & photogrphy, Jim.

You've done it, now, in drawing the Arbor Arts Collective.  Hide your wife & livestock.  Pray for your bonsai.  Send them your beer, now.

Nice Washington Hawthorne Jim. I also have a big one dug up from a demolition site a few years ago, and definitely agree those thorns mean business, man.

I have legendary fights each year with the dreaded fungus for the beast. Quince rust is the culprit for these parts. I've found it helps a lot to spray it down liberally with a dilute concentration of lime sulphur each year after the leaves fall off. After that a regimen of copper soap spray treatments and Actino iron applied periodically during the growing season help it to resist the orangey colored plague somewhat decently enough. Wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of these things as being somewhat sketchy as Bonsai material, and will not be getting any more of these.

I'm having much more success with our native growing Parsely Hawthorne, (Crataegus marshallii). Same thorns, and grows much slower. But mine have proven to resist fungus infestation a lot better than the weaker Washington Hawthorne does.

Chris Cochrane wrote:Nice pruning & photogrphy, Jim.

You've done it, now, in drawing the Arvor Arts Collective.  Hide your wife & livestock.  Pray for your bonsai.  Send them your beer, now.

no - now that i know what jim likes, the Ard Vark Collective will be bringing the beer !

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH..........don't rile up Uncle Gance here.....I might just target an October camp date........................................Hooray Beer....................................

now that i know what jim likes, the Ard Vark Collective will be bringing the beer !

Yummy!  Nice and DARK.

The more I thought about it, it seemed the top was TOO pointy.



Better, I think. HATE the blue pot!

JimLewis wrote:

now that i know what jim likes, the Ard Vark Collective will be bringing the beer !

Yummy!  Nice and DARK.

exercising my seldom used better judgement, i will leave that one un-joked upon

but i imagine i can rustle up something dark and chewy from here to bring down...
btw - seems i heard that asheville tried laying claim to the title "beer city"... nice try, but no cigar

re the tree:

yes much better in my eyes too... but do you like the extent of the lower branches spread ?
perhaps a bit avian ?

(chris - no fair editing your post !!!  )

Yes nice job on the pear, better more rounded. Pot is not sooo bad. But I don't have to look at it every day. Tree is def. worth a better pot though for sure. Always a treat this one!

but do you like the extent of the lower branches spread ?

Yup.