Mespilus germanica

Are you searching for a truly characterful specimen tree that offers visual interest through every season in your UK garden? Look no further than the Mespilus germanica, commonly known as the Medlar, celebrated for its showy large white flowers appearing through May and June.

This plant develops a delightfully bushy, spreading small tree or large shrub habit, featuring branches that often appear wonderfully twisted and fanciful, providing excellent structural interest even when dormant; its foliage offers vibrant seasonal transitions, turning shades of yellow, brown, and red before developing its unique brown, apple-shaped fruit which becomes edible once bletted, making this a wonderful addition to a wildlife garden attracting bees.

The Medlar is remarkably adaptable, thriving happily in the typical UK soil conditions, whether your garden features clay or loam, provided it is moist but well-drained soil, and it manages well in full sun or slightly partial shade; it makes an outstanding solitary statement tree perfect for cottage gardens where its unusual fruit can be admired close up.