Medlars (Mespilus germanica) Medlar trees with their sweet, soft and delicious apple-like fruit are very rare and quite unique. Their history goes back to medieval times in England and Europe. In the Middle Ages most walled monastery gardens included a number of these craggy but elegant trees. They can be extremely long-lived. A certain medlar tree in England, planted during the reign of King James I in the early 1600s was reportedly still alive and well quite recently! A medlar in bloom will rival a rose bush in dignified beauty with its large white blossoms nestled in a whorl of dark green leaves. 1-1.5m (3-5') bareroot tree

Growing Tips

Medlars Growing Tip

Medlars prefer a somewhat sheltered, well drained site with lots of sunshine. Medlars also have a few unique requirements:

  1. They should be planted with the graft union several inches
    below the soil level to allow the scion to form its own roots.
  2. The fruit is still rock-hard and mouth puckering when picked
    late in the fall. They need 2 to 4 weeks to soften up (a process
    called bletting) before they are ready to eat, bake or roast, or
    make jellies and jams.

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