Tree of Merit, Becky Schwartz Reports:
38 CityTREES
"Becky Schwartz Reports" is a
journalistic take on the Tree of
Merit series where Becky celebrates
the diverse ecoregions of the
U.S. by collaborating with urban
foresters in these unique areas.
'Winter King' Hawthorn
At the
Throne of
Winter King hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'),
an often overlooked understory tree, is quickly becoming
a new favorite of Baltimore, Maryland urban foresters
Alex Smith and Fred Chalfant. Alex owns and operates
Division Street Landscaping, a social enterprise com-
mitted to providing green industry jobs to formerly
incarcerated individuals. Fred is a Baltimore Urban Forest
Technician and identifies trees for the Maryland State
Champion Tree Program. Alex and Fred collaborate to
support tree planting, care, and education in Baltimore.
Fred first came across the current state champion
hawthorn (Crataegus viridis), a street tree next to
Riverside Park in Baltimore (see photo left). This mag-
nificent hawthorn is not a 'Winter King' cultivar;
however, the mature size of this uncommon street
tree made it a treasure that Fred had to investigate.
He measured it and took a photo with champion tree
volunteer Ray Iturralde standing at the tree's base.
Some, including myself, have dismissed hawthorn
from planting lists due to its thorns. I once sent a
planting contractor home because they brought haw-
thorns that I felt had too many thorns to be planted
along the street. That doesn't deter Fred, who makes
sure to prune off thorns closest to vehicles and
pedestrians. Although 'Winter King' has few thorns,
particularly as it ages, it is not completely thornless.
Champion tree volunteer Ray Iturralde provides scale
in this photo of Maryland's state champion green
hawthorn (Crataegus viridis). Photo by Fred Chalfant
