I need a hawthorn that will flower soon

[WimpoleoftheBaileys]

I'm all for planting trees as small and young as possible so that they'll establish well and grow quickly but this hawthorn is for an elderly person so it would obviously be better if it will flower in their lifetime.

Please can anyone tell me what I should be looking/asking for when it comes to buying it?

Look for grafted plants of Crataegus, they can flower in a 3-5 years rather than 15 to 25 years but there is no guarantee

Thankyou @MarkingBad , that's very helpful.

Does it have to be hawthorn? I planted a Japanese cherry last year which flowered in its first year.

Yes, it does @Gardendiary , that's what they asked for. Cherries are lovely though, I wonder if there would be room for one while we're waiting hopefully for the hawthorn to flower. Thank you for the idea.

I understand, it’s a great native plant and very good for wildlife, it’s more that if they are elderly it’s a shame if they didn’t see it reach it’s full potential.

Maybe contact someone like this company and see what they suggest. I would get the biggest plant you could afford so it would flower sooner. Or go to a garden centre and see what they have. They might have plants that will flower this spring.

I love hawthorn (the fairy tree)and it has special meaning. Go to a nursery, you will find something im sure and they will advise.

Thank you both. There is an independent garden centre not far away so I'll try there and see if they can help.

I think a tree/bush that's already mature is called a specimen tree. If you get one of those it should flower this year (or next year at worst, depending on when you get it in the ground).

If you buy a reasonable size tree( 6/7 ft) it should flower this year. If you want to guarantee flowers this spring I'd wait to buy till buds are showing then you can be confident. If the person would like a dark pinky red version then Paul's Scarlet is lovely, I have it in my garden.

The red ones are more enthusiastic at flowering than the white ones, so maybe look for one of those. 'Paul's Scarlet' or 'Crimson Cloud' are two such varieties.

They actually used to have a pinky/red one and said they'd like a white one this time, ironically 😀. That's a good idea about getting one with flower buds already @ThoroughlyModernNotMillie .

Thank you everyone who has posted, much appreciated🙂