Please note:
For most situations, we would not recommend installing this plant in new gardens, landscapes, or plantings in southern California.
This plant profile is included in this site as a reference for two primary reasons:
- If you already have this plant in your landscape, this information can be used to know how to care for it.
- If you already have this plant in your landscape, you can use this information to learn which of our recommended plants have the same recommended watering needs, making them potential choices for grouping together if you will be adding new plants to the existing area.
In general, instead of this plant, we recommend planting appropriate California native plants whenever possible.
In addition to their beauty, California native plants offer the most additional benefits beyond just low water use, including habitat for the birds, butterflies, and pollinators who evolved here with them. This adds value and beauty in your landscape beyond just a pretty plant, allowing the landscape to actively contribute to the environment instead of just using less water. You can find our top recommended native plant choices on our Plant Finder by selecting “California Native” and learn more about California native plants here.
To learn what exactly California native plants are and how they are different from other low water plants, visit this link.
For visual interest or other reasons, some people may also want to mix in other non-native low-water demanding plant choices even though they do not have the same ecological value as native plants. For that reason, we feature a number of non-native waterwise selections on this site as well. However, we see native plants as the best “go to” for most landscape or garden choices! We encourage people to consider planting at least 50% of their landscape to native plants. See our Garden Designs section or visit our Waterwise Demonstration Garden in Montclair for plenty of inspiration.
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Indian hawthorns are among the most planted shrubs throughout the Inland Empire. They are easy to grow, and will generally be long-lived as long as they are watered. Beyond that they are a somewhat uninteresting plant.
Many cultivars of Indian hawthorn have become available from nurseries over the years; some are large while others are petite. They are characterized by dark green leaves and heavy springtime flowering. Depending upon the cultivar, flowers range in color from white to light pink; some plants produce small purple-black berries.
They grow best in sunny locations with regular moisture throughout the year, and are adapted to many soil conditions. Some cultivars include: R. i. ‘Ballerina’ is a compact cultivar that grows 2-3 ft. high and has deep pink flowers; R. i. ‘Clara’ mounds 3-5 ft. high and 5-6 ft. wide and produces white flowers; R. i. ‘Springtime’ is a robust shrub 5-8 ft. high and as wide and has clear pink flowers.
