Rhaphiolepis 'Snow Maiden' Snow Maiden Indian Hawthorn
Family: Rosaceae | Origin: India and China
In public gardening exposed to vandalism and neglect and in low-maintenance gardens, the gardeners prefer to plant workhorses; These are shrubs, which are easily established and then become resistant to a variety of difficult and even changing conditions – extreme heat, extreme cold, full sun, full shade, root competition from nearby trees, watering problems and even random vandalism.
The best of them hardly require any treatment over the years and are long-lasting.
The list is not long and it includes shrubs that one sees in every park or traffic island – Pistacias, rosemary varieties, Phytosporum, Indian Hawthorn, Viburnums, Cotoneasters, several varieties of roses and a few others. Some of the plants are suitable mainly for the mountain area and suffer on the coastal plain in the summer and others are not suitable for the mountain area because of the cold winters.
Only rarely is a new plant added to this privileged list and this is what happened in recent years to a new variety of Indian Hawthorn, which arrived in Israel and unsurprisingly proved itself to be a real workhorse, like all its brothers.
Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Snow Maiden’ stands out for its small, glossy leaves arranged densely along the upright stems. The new leaves are pink like the winter leaves that turn pink-red in the cold.
At the end of winter and in the spring it blooms with white and fragrant flowers for about a month and in the summer it bears blue non-toxic fruits.
The flowering show is less impressive than other hawthorn varieties, but in our opinion, this one’s structure and shiny leaves, make it more beautiful than its brothers.
This shrub is resistant to cold, heat, full sun and full shade (where it will grow in a more open structure), the coastal plain and the high mountains, in the ground and in a large pot. From its second year it is also resistant to drought. Grows at a slow-medium rate to a height and diameter of about 1.5 m or more, but responds well to pruning.
Snow Maiden Indian Hawthorn Can be used as a medium hedge, to cover areas, as a focal plant in the garden and as a stable bush in a large pot.
A workhorse, did we not say?