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Indian Hawthorn in the North Texas Landscape – Selection, Planting, and Maintenance in North Texas

Indian hawthorn add huge splashes of color in the spring to North Texas landscapes! Beautiful, colorful shows of pinks and whites dominate sunny areas on easily maintained evergreen shrubs. There are many types of Indian hawthorn, and this handout will help you select, install, and maintain the best looking Indian hawthorn in your landscape!

Selecting Indian Hawthorn
Indian hawthorn grow in a wide selection of heights, widths, and leaf textures – and bloom in white or a range of pink colors. Some Indian hawthorn have colorful darkened winter foliage and attractive berries, as well! We recommend, when selecting an Indian hawthorn, that you first look for types which will reach the height, width and color you’re looking for, then choose the most disease resistant variety listed.
Planting Indian Hawthorn
Indian hawthorn are not difficult to install properly. Select an area with full sun (at least 7 hours) and good airflow. Make sure that your sprinkler heads will not spray the leaves of your plants directly, just like a bed of roses or miniature crape myrtles. This discourages fungal leaf diseases from ever taking hold. Then just transplant your shrubs with the same compost, expanded shale, and greensand blend (our Covington’s Soil Builder) that you’d work into the soil when planting any common tree or shrub.
Maintaining Indian Hawthorn
Indian hawthorn have two notable maintenance quirks that must be observed for the best looking plantings!
First, Indian hawthorn bloom off their older wood, so any major pruning or shaping of these plants should be saved until AFTER the shrubs bloom in the springtime. This allows your plants to have their best show of color.
Secondly, Indian hawthorn when poorly maintained can catch a fungal leaf disease called entomosporium leaf spot. Avoid this ever being a problem by making sure your plants get excellent sun, good airflow, good nutrition, and by selecting varieties listed below marked with an asterisk (*) indicating that this type has outstanding disease resistance. They’re not just a little bit more resistant – it’s a night and day difference and we strongly recommend you select them.

List of Indian Hawthorn
The following is cultivar information listing heights, sizes, and colors of the Indian hawthorn we carry. * Indicates the types with the best disease resistance. Select the best Indian hawthorn for your needs!
Calisto*: 2-3′ T x 3′ W – Good disease resistance, lower growing, mounding selection with significantly curled leaves and extra-dark (burgundy highlights) fall foliage color. Rose-pink blooms.
Clara: 3-4′ T x 3-4′ W – Fragrant white blooms and new foliage appears red, maturing to green. The most common Indian hawthorn.
Dwarf Pink: 3-4′ T x 3-4′ W – Pink flowers on green foliage that turns bronze in winter.
Eleanor Taber*: 3-4′ T x 3-4′ W – Leaves like ‘Pink Lady’, similar growth pattern with superior disease resistance. Rose-pink blooms, medium size. Recommended over ‘Pink Lady’.
Georgia Petite*: 2-3′ T x 3-4′ W – Superior disease resistance, a very compact white. Dark blue berries in summer.
Majestic Beauty*: 8-10′ T x 6-8′ W – Good disease resistance, pearl-pink blooms, one of the larger Indian hawthorn.
Minor*: 4-5′ T x 4-5′ W – Superior disease resistance, an upright form, handsome dark green leaves, white blooms. Variety also known as ‘Yedda’.
Pink Lady: 4-6′ T x 4-6′ W – Rich pink blooms on leathery green foliage. Blue-black berries.
Pinkie: 3′ T x 3′ W – A very compact pink bloomer. New leaves in bronze and red.
Snow White*: 4’T x 4’W – Compact spreading habit and white flowers. Blue-black berries in winter. Bred for resistance to leaf spot.
Snowcap*: 4’T x 4’W – Compact and mounded with pink flowers that fade to white. Leaves turn burgundy-red with onset of cooler temperatures.
Southern Moon*: 2-3′ T x 3-4′ W – Newer selection with superior disease resistance and compact mounding habit. White blooms on glossy, deep green and wavy leaves.
Spring Sonata*: 4′ T x 4-5’W – White flowers bloom 2-3 weeks later than other varieties, so plant with other Indian hawthorns for an extended blooming season in your beds. Glossy green foliage with showy dark purple fruit in winter.

Browse the Indian Hawthorn selection in our Online Marketplace here!