Hawthorns & Winter Berries

Winter Varieties

• Crataegus viridis, or Winter King, is a beauty that puts on a color show every season of the year, flowering in the spring and early summer and producing brilliant red berries that remain well into the month of January. Crataegus phaenopyrum, or Washington Hawthorn, and Crataegus x lavallei, or Lavalle Hawthorn, are two more hawthorn showstoppers that produce winter berries well into the winter months.

Location

• Where you reside within the U.S. determines whether you can make hawthorn trees a part of your winter landscape. For instance, Crataegus viridis thrives in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 7, while Crataegus x lavallei may only be enjoyed by those living within zones 5 through 7A. If you are fortunate enough to live within hardiness zones 4 through 8A, Crataegus phaenopyrum is the hawthorn tree for you.

Wildlife

• If you plan to plant a hawthorn tree for the look of its winter berries, your plans may be foiled by the local wildlife. Both the Crataegus viridis and Crataegus phaenopyrum attract animals, especially birds that come to depend on the fruit when food is scarce during the late fall and winter. If word gets out that a hawthorn is bearing fruit, it may be eaten quicker than you get to enjoy its winter vibrancy. On the other hand, the berries of the Crataegus x lavallei tree attract no wildlife. Thus, the fruit flourishes all winter long.

Complementary Planting

• Several other plants produce attractive fruit throughout the winter, adding additional colors to the winter scenery, complementing that of the hawthorn. The American Cranberry, or Viburnum trilobum, produces yellow berries in the winter, while Common Snowberry, or Symphoricarpos albus, produces white berries. The Northern Bayberry, or Myrica pensylvanica, is another option for winter berry lovers. This hardy shrub produces pale gray-blue berries that glisten against a snowy backdrop.