June Tree of the Month-Washington Hawthorn

The name is deceiving; Washington hawthorns, Crataegus phaenopyrum, are not native to the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Their native range runs from Virginia to Missouri, Arkansas, and Alabama. (The common name is attributed to Washington DC) What’s also deceiving are those pretty, spring blooms in June. They give off a sickly-sweet scent that some love, others hate, caused by the release of a chemical called trimethylamine, one of the first chemicals produced by a decomposing corpse.

Growing up to 30’ high and wide, the tree has a beautiful, rounded shape and four-season interest with showy, spring blooms, decently cedar-apple rust-resistant leaves, bright red fruit, good fall color, and stunning bark.

What surprises most people when they encounter a hawthorn for the first time is the thorns. Not tiny inconspicuous thorns, but big, in-your-face 1-3” long thorns. These make hawthorn a great tree for a wide variety of pollinators, but not deer, or tree-huggers.

Hawthorns prefer full sun, but will tolerate some light shade. Soil preference is moist, but well-drained, similar to the open ground, thickets, and wood margins in the Ozark region where it is found in the wild.

What I love about this plant;

-It’s native!

-Beautiful flowers

-Showy fruits

-Nice fall color

-Great bark.

-Bird and pollinator friendly.

What’s not so great;

-THORNS! And lots of them

-The fragrance is sickening to some, pleasant to others.

-Fruit can be messy if near a walk or drive.

-Can be prone to Fire-blight, leaf spots, powdery mildew, cankers, apple scab, borers, caterpillars, lacebugs, leafminers, and scale.

-Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com

Words and photos by Jo Batzer

© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2026, All rights reserved.