You very seldom find medlars today other than in really old gardens. If they are grown they are usually planted as ornamental trees because they produce large flowers something like a wild rose. It is possible to buy the trees as bushes or pyramids but they are usually planted as half-standards or standards.
The fruit is not picked until November. It is then stored, stalk upwards, being laid individually on paper in a frost-proof room. The fruits are then not used until they go soft and almost rotten. This ripening process is known as Wetting.
The fruits are of a peculiar shape, being brown, round, flattened and with a crown of leaf segments and calyx. No special research has been done on the root stocks but empirical knowledge seems to show that for the half-standard, or standard, the common pear stock is best. Where the tree is to be planted on sandy or dry soil the Crataegus or White Thorn stock is excellent, but where medlars are to be grown in heavy clay soil a quince stock.
The medlar will also grow in a sward which is kept mown regularly and the grass clippings allowed to pass back to the sward.
The bush or pyramid trees may be planted as close as 10 feet apart if necessary. The half-standards should be put in 15 feet square and the standards no closer than 20 feet. The actual operation of planting is similar to apples. Time to plant. It is best to get the planting done early in November but any time in the dormant period will do. Age of trees. Two-year-old bush or pyramids should be planted, but three- or four-year-old standard or half-standard.
All that need be done is to cut out the dead wood, the diseased wood and any wood which tends to cross over to the other side of the tree and so keep out light and air. Remove also, carefully, the rubbing branches. It is just a question, therefore, of thinning out each December.
The fruit is not picked until November. It is then stored, stalk upwards, being laid individually on paper in a frost-proof room. The fruits are then not used until they go soft and almost rotten. This ripening process is known as Wetting.
The fruits are of a peculiar shape, being brown, round, flattened and with a crown of leaf segments and calyx. No special research has been done on the root stocks but empirical knowledge seems to show that for the half-standard, or standard, the common pear stock is best. Where the tree is to be planted on sandy or dry soil the Crataegus or White Thorn stock is excellent, but where medlars are to be grown in heavy clay soil a quince stock.
The medlar will also grow in a sward which is kept mown regularly and the grass clippings allowed to pass back to the sward.
The bush or pyramid trees may be planted as close as 10 feet apart if necessary. The half-standards should be put in 15 feet square and the standards no closer than 20 feet. The actual operation of planting is similar to apples. Time to plant. It is best to get the planting done early in November but any time in the dormant period will do. Age of trees. Two-year-old bush or pyramids should be planted, but three- or four-year-old standard or half-standard.
All that need be done is to cut out the dead wood, the diseased wood and any wood which tends to cross over to the other side of the tree and so keep out light and air. Remove also, carefully, the rubbing branches. It is just a question, therefore, of thinning out each December.
About the Author:
Many families include children of widely differing ages and what is needed in their garden planning is very much an all-purpose garden.
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