Tree · Rosaceae
Medlar
Mespilus germanica
A slow, forgiving fruit tree that asks for very little and sweetens only after the first frosts.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–8
15–20 ft · 4.6–6.1 m
Overview
If you have been nervous about growing a fruit tree, the medlar is a kind place to start. It is one of the truly old orchard trees, loved across Europe for centuries and unfairly forgotten today, yet it forgives beginners in a way many fruit trees do not. A cousin of apples and pears in the rose family, it grows into a small, spreading tree of 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m) and greets late spring with large white-to-pink blossom. The russet-brown fruit that follows looks like a little flat-bottomed apple wearing an open crown.
The one thing that surprises new growers is how you eat it, and there is nothing to worry about here either. Fresh off the tree the fruit is hard and sharply astringent, and it only turns good after bletting, a gentle softening by frost or a spell in storage that leaves the flesh brown, sweet, and rich, close to spiced apple butter or dates. Once you understand that rhythm, the rest feels easy, because the tree simply keeps its own patient time.
Best of all, mistakes are hard to make and easy to recover from. Medlar is hardy down to -20°F (-29°C), self-fertile so one tree fruits happily alone, slow and steady in its growth, and rarely bothered by pests or disease. Give it a sunny spot and reasonable soil, and it will reward you for a very long time.
Care
The short version: plant your tree in full sun in moist, fertile, well-drained loam, water it deeply during dry spells and while the fruit fills out, and prune only lightly in late winter. It is a wonderfully low-maintenance, cold-hardy tree once it has settled in.
Light
Your medlar will flower and fruit best in full sun, though it happily accepts a little part shade. Too little light is one of the main reasons a young tree holds back on blossom, so do treat it to the brightest spot you can find, and it will thank you.
Water
Once established, your tree wants moderate, even moisture and copes with a fair range of soils after its roots take hold. Water deeply through dry spells and while the fruit is swelling. Between drinks, simply let the top half of the soil dry out, since it much prefers that to sitting soggy.
Soil
Give it moist, fertile, well-drained loam and it will grow beautifully, yet do not fret if your ground is less than perfect, because medlar manages either way. A soil pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5 suits it well, from a little acidic to a little alkaline.
Temperature
This is a genuinely tough, cold-hardy tree, comfortable in winter lows of -20°F (-29°C) and summer warmth up to 95°F (35°C). The frost it takes in its stride is the very thing that starts bletting, so a cold snap is a gift rather than a worry.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it just fine, somewhere around 40% to 70%, and there is truly no figure to lose sleep over. Damp, still air matters only because it can invite leaf spot, so a little airflow is all you need to keep in mind.
Feeding
A single balanced feed in spring, given seasonally, is plenty for most trees. Keep a light hand, since a lot of nitrogen pushes leafy growth ahead of the flowers and fruit you are hoping for.
Pruning
Prune in late winter while the tree is dormant, gently taking out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches to keep an open shape. Medlar fruits on spurs and needs only light pruning once settled, so please do not feel you have to cut it hard.
Repotting
Medlar is really a tree for open ground and is rarely repotted. If you are nursing a young one in a container, just move it up when roots begin to circle, water rushes straight through, or growth quietly stalls.
Size & spacing
Look forward to a small, spreading tree of 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m) tall and roughly as wide. Give it space to open out to its full 15 to 20 foot (4.5 to 6 m) canopy, and it will fill it in its own gentle time.
When to plant
Medlar keeps a long, unhurried calendar, and that makes it easy to follow. Set bare-root or container trees in the ground while they are dormant, any time from late autumn into early spring. The blossom opens in late spring, and the fruit clings on well past leaf drop, ready to gather in late autumn once the first frosts have quietly begun the bletting for you.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bare-root or container trees in late autumn to early spring while dormant.
- Harvest: Blooms in late spring (about May to June); fruit is harvested in late autumn after leaf drop and first frosts, then bletted before eating.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
The medlar gives you very little to fret over, and most of its little puzzles come from the fruit's unusual ripening rather than any real trouble. Find what matches what you are seeing below, and you can almost always put it right with a touch of patience or a small change in care.
A young tree slow to flower and fruit
Nine times out of ten your tree is just still young, and that is nothing to be discouraged by, since medlars are self-fertile and usually begin cropping by their second year, then bear more freely as they fill out. Too much shade is the other common cause. Move it into full sun, ease off any nitrogen feed that favours leaves over flowers, and simply give it time.
Fix:
- Be patient and allow the tree to mature
- Site or move the tree to a position with full sun
- Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding that favours leaves over flowers
Fruit that stays hard and sharply sour
A medlar picked too soon is rock hard and so astringent it dries out your mouth, simply because the tannins have not broken down yet. Do not worry, the answer is bletting. Gather the fruit in late autumn after leaf fall and the first frosts, then rest it somewhere cool, dark, and airy for two to three weeks until the flesh softens to brown and sweet.
Fix:
- Harvest in late autumn after leaf fall and the first frosts
- Store fruit in a cool, dark, airy place for two to three weeks until the flesh turns soft and brown
- Eat or process only once the flesh is soft and sweet
Brown spots on the leaves with early leaf drop
Medlar shrugs off most pests and diseases, so widespread spotting usually points to a gentle fungal leaf spot that settles into wet, crowded growth. There is an easy fix: rake up and bin the fallen leaves so spores cannot carry over, thin the canopy for better airflow, and try to keep water off the leaves.
Fix:
- Rake up and remove fallen leaves
- Prune to improve air circulation
- Avoid overhead watering
Toxicity
You can relax with a medlar in the garden. The bletted flesh is enjoyed by people and does no harm to pets or grazing animals, and the tree carries no toxic leaves or sap. The only small note, one it shares with apples, pears, and other rose-family fruit, is that the seeds hold a cyanide compound and should not be crushed and eaten in any quantity.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Cats rarely take much interest, and a taste of the soft flesh does them no harm at all. The only thing to keep half an eye on is a cat crunching through a pile of the hard seeds.
Dogs Safe
A little bletted flesh makes a harmless treat for a dog. Just steer one away from mouthfuls of crushed seeds, which carry the same cyanide compound found right across the rose family.
Horses Safe
The tree and its ripe fruit pose no real danger to horses, so you can rest easy there. Keep watch only for large amounts of chewed seeds.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can nibble the leaves and a little soft flesh without any trouble. As with any treat, fruit is best kept a small part of their diet.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep graze around medlar without being poisoned. The only caution is the seeds inside windfall fruit, and only if a great many are crushed and swallowed.
Birds Safe
Garden birds happily peck the ripe fruit, and the flesh is fine for them. They sensibly leave the hard seeds alone.
People Safe
Bletted medlar is a sweet, wholesome treat, soft and brown like spiced apple butter. As with apple and other rose-family fruit, simply skip the seeds rather than crushing and eating them.
The soft, bletted flesh is edible; avoid letting pets or children chew or swallow large numbers of crushed seeds.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Only a small circle of medlar cultivars are still grown, but there is a lovely range among them, from little and deeply aromatic to giant-fruited. These are the friendly names worth seeking out.
Nottingham
An old favourite that stays fairly upright and compact, treasured for its smaller, richly aromatic fruit.
Royal
A dependable, generous cropper carrying medium-sized fruit with a lovely flavour.
Breda Giant
A Dutch selection of the giant-fruited kind, grown for its large fruit and its fine autumn leaf colour.
Large Russian
A vigorous form that gives you some of the biggest fruit you will find on any medlar.
How to propagate
Medlar is not a tree you multiply on a whim, and that is perfectly fine. Named varieties are grafted so they stay true, while seed is a slow and uncertain path that rewards a patient, easygoing grower.
GraftingDemanding
Late winter to early spring for bench grafting, or summer for budding · 1 to 2 years to a young, sellable tree
Named cultivars are nearly always grafted or budded onto quince, pear, or hawthorn rootstocks so they come true and their vigour stays gently in check. Bench graft in late winter to early spring, or bud in summer, and count on 1 to 2 years before you have a young tree worth planting out. It is fiddly work, so there is no shame in buying a grafted tree instead.
SeedDemanding
Autumn, after prolonged cold stratification · Several years to first fruiting
Growing from seed asks for real patience, but it can be a rewarding little project. The seed wants a long spell of cold stratification sown in autumn, comes up slowly and unevenly, and the seedlings will not match the parent. Expect several years before one of them flowers and fruits, so plant it as a gift to your future self.
Myths
A medlar is rotten or spoiled once it is soft enough to eat.
That softening is bletting, a natural stage of ripening where the tannins fade and starch turns to sugar. Properly bletted fruit is soft, sweet, and perfectly safe to enjoy, not spoiled at all, even though it may look as though it has gone over.
You need two medlar trees before they will set fruit.
One tree crops beautifully on its own, so you can breathe easy. Medlar is self-fertile and often begins bearing by its second year, which means there is no need to squeeze in a second tree as a pollination partner.
Medlar fruit can be eaten straight off the tree like an apple.
Freshly picked fruit is hard and so astringent it dries out your mouth, so it is not ready just yet. It has to blett first, softened by frost or by a few weeks in storage, before the flesh turns brown and lovely to eat.