Plant of the Week - Winter King Hawthorn

While driving down the street a couple weeks ago, I noticed a small tree that used to be very popular in the landscape, but seem to have faded a bit from the current favorites. It caught my attention with its horizontal branching habit, distinct silvery gray bark, and most importantly this time of the year, its orange-red berries (which the birds seem to eat later into the winter)…the results of profuse small clusters of white flowers in the spring. And if you look closely, you may see an occasional small thorns on the branches, which has probably been one of the reasons we don’t see it in the landscape as much anymore…although I never really saw this as an issue with the tree. Nevertheless, this 4 season tree happens to be a hawthorn; Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’…Winter King Hawthorn. 20’x20’ / strong horizontal branching / full sun / native selection / Zone 4 hardiness. And yes, here’s a tree pollinators and other wildlife can enjoy.