Red haws make Washington Hawthorn a winner

If you hedge your yard you protect it from noise, intrusion and wild animals. A good hedge can keep your animals in and others out.

Noted trader Bruce Clymer tells us that “hedge” means to "insure oneself against loss," as in a bet, by playing something on the other side, and dates back to the 1670s.

To keep out noise, plant multiple rows of trees or shrubs instead of a single row.  Height matters as well as width; each extra three feet of hedge height reduces the noise level by 1.5 decibels.

Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) with its dense, twiggy branches that cut down on road noise and light glare is ideal as a hedge or small tree. In fact,  the word hawthorn itself comes from “hedgethorn.”  The hawthorn berries are called “haws,” apparently a back-formation from hawthorn.

When first brought to Pennsylvania from Washington, this tree was known as the Washington Thorn because of its prominent thorns, and later as Washington Hawthorn.

Washington Hawthorn grows to a height of 25 to 30 feet with a spread of up to 25 feet.   It is often allowed to grow with multiple trunks or a single trunked with unpruned lower branches.  You can also prune it into a classic tree form with a single trunk and branches pruned up to several feet.

It blooms in early June with fragrant white flowers, and its flowers are an important nectar plant for bees.

The leaves are colorful, changing from early spring reddish-purple to deep green through summer, then in fall changing once more to red, purple and orange.   But it’s the bright red haws, or berries, which make this shrubby tree such a winner. The berries are mild flavored and can be eaten raw or made into jellies or pies much like blackberries or mulberries.   Left unpicked, the bright red fruits hang on the tree well into winter, providing not only color to a gray landscape, but food that attracts songbirds such as cardinals.

The Washington Hawthorn is a small, colorful tree that fits into small spaces well.  If left unpruned as a hedge, its thorns form an effective barrier even to browsing deer.

It is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8 and does best in moist, well-drained soil in full sun to partial sun with a soil pH 6.8-7.2.  It is quite hardy and tolerates drought, poor soil heat and even winter salt spray. Washington Hawthorns are easily propagated by seeds and rooted cuttings.  Trees are available at local nurseries or by mail from Arbor Day Foundation.

Washington Hawthorns are susceptible to rusts that  infect the new growth in spring and  the unripened green fruits.  Left untreated. the rust weakens the tree and can eventually kill it.

Spray rust-infected trees with a mixture of four teaspoons of potassium bicarbonate per gallon of water.  You can also use baking soda (which contains sodium and bicarbonate) in the same proportions as a spray.

Commercially available Bordeaux mixture made from copper sulfate and lime can also be used.

Plant a hedge or a single Washington Hawthorn for winter berries for you and the birds.  It will quiet down your home. Even the wood is valuable. Washington Hawthorn wood is very dense and strong and makes wonderful tools.  Tools are great to have around, and a good tool is a good hedge on the future.