Hawthorn as an ornamental shrub

Hawthorn ordinary for many centuries known to people for its healing properties.Medicinal preparations based on this plant can now be found in any pharmacy. There are more than a thousand species of plants, one of which is single-hawthorn.

This species has also been used for many years in the food and chemical industries, the pharmaceutical industry, and landscape design. However, it was not until the twentieth century that this plant became truly more popular and began to be actively grown on sites as an ornament.

The single-hawthorn hawthorn (in Latin "Crataegus Monogyna") is a deciduous shrub or tree. Gardeners and designers actively use it for decorative purposes. It belongs to the Rosaceae family, and more specifically to the apple family (in Latin “Maloideae”). Hawthorn also belongs to the flowering division, the class of dicotyledonous plants.

One-hawthorn hawthorn is a honey-bearing, late-pollen plant. The height of its trunk reaches from three to seven meters. It is characterized by a rounded crown, the branches have a brown-reddish tint and are covered with small thorns, the length of which is no more than one centimeter. The leaves of the shrub from the bottom side have a rich green color with a barely noticeable wax film. Above the same foliage juicy, shiny, painted in a dark green tone.

Hawthorn flowers are composed of five petals. They are distinguished by a beautiful white color, regular shape, bisexual and single column. Petals form an interesting configuration, which is called the "shield". Most often, this plant begins to bloom in June.

The fruits of the one-pike hawthorn look like a small apple. They have a rounded shape, similar to a wide ellipse. The shade of the fruit is red-brown, and inside is only one bone. The leaves on those shoots that give fruit, and those that do not give them, are slightly different in appearance.

The average lifespan of a bush is about two years. However, it is interesting that in history there were plants that could live for more than three centuries. During this time, the bushes grew to eighteen meters in height.

Hawthorn grows throughout the world, with the exception of Antarctica and South America. Even in some parts of North Africa, this shrub can be found. Most often the plant is found in Europe, Central Asia, as well as in the Middle East. Most often, the single-hawk hawthorn is distributed within the forest-steppe area, in open areas. At least its dense thickets can be seen on the banks of rivers, on mountain slopes, and also on the edges of mixed and deciduous forests.

Due to its unique properties, the plant has found application in various industries.

• Medical. Inflorescences and ripe fruits of the shrub are successfully used to eliminate deviations in the work of the cardiovascular and nervous system. In folk recipes hawthorn also always held a special place. For centuries, they have been treated for diseases of the nervous system, ailments associated with the head. With the help of drugs based on it, it was even possible to overcome diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure.
• Food. Hawthorn berries - just a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. They contain a large amount of pectin, sucrose and glucose, as well as organic acids. Fruits can be dried and used as an additive to tea, infusions or compotes. You can also make jam and jam from berries (there are many video and text recipes on the Internet). It is necessary to collect ripe fruits in the late autumn when the first frosts come.
• Chemical. Surprisingly, in the modern world there is still room for natural products. Hawthorn is an integral part of natural dyes that are environmentally friendly and do not pose a threat to human health and the environment. For the production of paint used branches, buds and bark of a bush.From such material beautiful yellow, red, brown shades turn out.

Hawthorn is also widely used in landscape design. It is used to create beautiful compositions in the gardens, or simply planted with individual trees. From such a shrub we get hedges, topiary and even whole artificial ecological systems.

In order for the plant to be lush and healthy, certain conditions are necessary.

For the growth of hawthorn clay soil is perfect, even if it is heavy. But the alkaline environment in this case must be neutral. Sometimes shrubs are planted on saline substrates, and it is also used to fix embankments and coastlines.

The ideal place for breeding single-hawthorn hawthorn is an open area that is fully lit by sunlight. The plant is not afraid of heat. If the space where the shrub grows will be in the penumbra, the plant will also develop, but it will feel much worse. In the event that you decide to plant hawthorn in the shade, it will completely stop blooming.

Fortunately lazy gardeners, odnopistichny hawthorn does not require much attention to themselves in the issue of watering. It can easily endure long periods of drought and recover quickly from such conditions. Unlike the prickly hawthorn, the single-flowered shrub grows well in the conditions of a sharply continental climate.

In the issue of fertilizer shrubs are also unpretentious. It must be fertilized only once a year, maximum two. For this you can use any complex minerals.

Formation of the crown of the monopestine hawthorn is a simple process, because by nature the shrub has a beautiful rounded shape. If the plant is young, it is not necessary to cut it. It is enough just to monitor the absence of sick and damaged shoots, and upon detection, immediately trim them. If you need curly pruning, it is best to hold it in the spring. In the summer, you can do two or three additional polishing to bring the shape to the ideal.

The plant can grow in heavy soil. Nevertheless, it is desirable that the soil had a lot of nutrients, and toxic substances were not at all. If you want to land hawthorn in your area, prepare land for the bush with additives from sand, humus and peat.

Also note that A shrub can be transplanted to another location only if the plant is young. Since the roots of a shrub grow strongly over time, it is much more difficult to transplant an adult plant.

The optimal time period for transplantation is mid-autumn or spring. At first it is important to regularly water the sapling and observe how it takes root in the new place. After the hawthorn will not require much attention.

In the next video you will learn more about planting and caring for hawthorn.