Medlar
Mespilus germanica
Not a fruit to eat off the branch — picked after frost, then left to blet indoors for weeks.
Light Full sun through to partial shade, with shelter if it can be had.
Water Water it while young; once established it shrugs off drought.
Height 4 m
Spread 13 ft 1 in
Spacing 450 cm
Spacing & sowing
- Plant spacing
- 14 ft 9 in
- In-row spacing
- 14 ft 9 in
- Between rows
- 18 ft 1 in
- Square-foot density
- Not suited to SFG
Growing
- Type
- Fruit · Perennial
- Botanical family
- Mixed / other
- Sunlight
- Full sun through to partial shade, with shelter if it can be had.
- Watering
- Water it while young; once established it shrugs off drought.
- Feeding
- A compost mulch in spring; it rarely asks for more.
- Frost tolerant
- Yes
- Flowering
- May
- Pruning
- A light winter prune, taking out dead or crossing branches.
Through the year
- Mar–May Bud Break
- May–Jun Flowering
- Jun–Nov Fruit Set
- Nov–Nov Harvest
- Nov–Dec Leaf Fall
- Jan–Mar Leaf Fall
Companions
Comfrey, Wildflowers, Clover
Pests & problems
- Generally trouble-free No notable pest or disease problems when grown in the right conditions — one of the easy ones.
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's herbarium at cottagegardencompanion.com