Midland Hawthorn, English Hawthorn, Smooth Hawthorn 'Paul's Scarlet'

We plan to put a C l in our garden for :
climate resistent as deeprooting
great nectar&pollen source
thorns providin...Read Moreg safe nesting place for birds
magnificent display in spring
heigth as well as width comprehensable for our rather small garden .
People who think they might act in favour of birds by taking off thorns actually are depriving them of safety from some predators like cats .
Good Luck to y'all and keep nature safe
M_Erika

This tree is super pretty in spring when it blooms. The berries are numerous on older wood, and they are red on my tree.
This is a...Read More very sturdy tree; it has bent over in strong winds and it still stands!
The berries don't taste like much to me, they are very bland and have the texture of a mellow overripe apple.
Even the birds don't eat them here.

When we first moved into our house, I was tempted to cut this tree down as it shaded the garden. When it bloomed that idea went out the ...Read Morewindow. The flowers are very small but double and are in clusters like tiny bouquets of roses. The flowers are a raspberry pink and the berries are black. We've had robins nest in it several years and the berries don't last long. It has a very interesting trunk with vertical chords and flaking bark. The shape is vaselike and it looks attractive even in winter. We are close to the US border in SE British Columbia but at a fairly high altitude so tempertures drop to -20 C but we have very deep snow cover.

This makes a well behaved small patio or lawn tree. The berries are abundant and turn scarlet red in fall and last until the birds have ...Read Moreeaten the last one. The blooms in spring are like snowballs. It has two disadvantages. The flowers which last about two weeks are not sweet smelling but are somewhat musty. Personally I do not find it that offputting considering the display, but placing it at a door where you would pass it constantly might be a bad idea. The other problem is the branches have large, very sharp thorns, which can stick you or birds that might alight on one. However, the interesting thing is that if you pull them off they do not return. We were able to pull off a whole tree in about 30 minutes when it was about 5' tall about five years ago and have not seen a thorn since. The leaves are a glossy green and turn colors in fall, even in California.