Hawthorns and Medlars

A Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide

Hawthorns and Medlars was the first in our Plant Collector Guide series, published in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society. Ideal for the avid gardener, horticulturist, and plant collector, these inspirational books provide an opportunity to learn about some lesser-known, but increasingly collectable genera. Most hawthorns are vastly underappreciated as ornamental subjects, but given their interesting biology, cultural history, and uses in cookery and folklore, these fascinating trees and shrubs are long overdue their own book. This book focuses on those hawthorns (genus Crataegus) and medlars (genus Mespilus) of greatest interest to horticulturists, some 70 wild species, many of which are seldom cultivated outside botanic gardens or arboreta. A substantial range of ornamental cultivars and the best-known horticulturally created hybrids are also treated, and the author provides detailed information on how to best grow, propagate, and hybridize these plants.

See other books from The Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide Series.

Media reviews of this book:

"An interesting discussion of hawthorns and medlars in folklore ... One of the most attractive features of the book is a series of 75 color plates of flowers and fruits of many species, as well as a few related subjects."

—F. G. Dennis Jr., Choice, June 2004

"A lot of interesting information."

—Gail Harland, Cottage Gardener, September 2004

"A valuable reference, and one that is beautifully illustrated."

—T. A. Dickinson, Canadian Botanical Association Bulletin, August 2004

"This book is a valuable reference, and a beautifully illustrated one."

—T. A. Dickinson, Canadian Botanical Association Bulletin, June 2004

"Written in an easy to read, highly understandable style and contains interesting information as well as the expected content."

—Beth Thomsett-Scott, E-Streams, April 2004

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