Hawthorns grafted at Southern Belle's:
Crataegus mexicana Manzanilla Chapas just east of the driveway near middle row of orchard. Used in traditional, hot, fruit punch served at Christmas and New Years. Link
Crataegus azarolus Red Azarole just west of the driveway. Link Bonus Link
Crataegus opaca Big Red Mayhaw 40 feet west of Red Azarole Link Bonus Link
Crataegus pinnatifida Red Sun approximately 40' south of Big Red Mayhaw Link Bonus Link
The scion came from Cliff England in eastern Kentucky, so they survived Zone 6a. In a test winter I might be 10F colder than that. We will see how Chapas and Azarole and Mayhaws handle Michigan weather.
Why Crataegus?
They are incredibly tough. Like barbed wire, broken glass and junk-yard dog tough.
There are Crataegus species native to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Crataegus grows down into Central America. Some species grow in super-dry environments. Some species grow in boggy-muck just a touch drier than skunk cabbage.
They have thorns that fend off herbivores. Those thorns punch through the soles of athletic shoes and tires with ease. They make GREAT hedges.
The downsides are that the fruit is small and the quality is so-so. While Chinese herbalists made use of hawthorn fruit and leaves...is there any plant that grows in China that they didn't use? Another downside is that they are subject to many leaf diseases and appear to be particularly vulnerable to cedar-apple rust.
Grafting hawthorn is not for the faint-of-heart.
The thing about grafting hawthorns is that the ideal shoots for grafting is always thickly guarded by a thicket of stout, thorny branches. I had to cut my way in to get to the shoot. Then I had to remove taller branches that shaded the graft. I got a bunch of minor puncture wounds and one moderate puncture wound. The moderate puncture wound occurred when I stepped on a branch I had just cut off of the tree. It went through the sole of my shoe and stung me in the arch of my foot.
I've got a Hawthorn that produced ten cups of fruit last year. This cooked down to five cups of strained sauce. I gradually added sugar, 1 3/4 cups, until the tartness was gone but an essential, almost primitive apple flavor remained. I've used it as a spread on toast and a garnish in Cream of Wheat. It really shines when about a half cup is added to an apple pie. After a little experimentation I found that the cinnamon and nutmeg can be eliminated. Can't wait for this fall.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of puncture wounds are you healing up from the black locust?
ReplyDeleteWhen we were young and energetic we used hawthorn ("May") blossom as flavouring in a home-made wine. It was OK but elderflower was so much better that we didn't use hawthorn again.
ReplyDeleteBut it does make good stock-proof hedges.
I have - as an experiment - grafted pears onto native cockspur hawthorn (C. crus-galli). Have one that is now 25 years out; the pear has been significantly dwarfed... Only about 8-9 ft tall, and the pear trunk is nearly 2X the diameter of the hawthorn supporting it.
ReplyDelete