Mature size & growth rate

How big does Medlar 'Nottingham' (Mespilus germanica 'Nottingham') get?

Also called Nottingham medlar.

More about medlar 'nottingham'

About Medlar 'Nottingham'

Mespilus germanica 'Nottingham' · also called Nottingham medlar · edible

'Nottingham' is the classic culinary medlar — a small, gnarled, ornamental deciduous tree bearing russet-brown apple-rose fruit that must be bletted (softened by frost or storage) before eating, giving a spiced, applesauce-like pulp. Self-fertile and hardy to around minus 20 Celsius, it thrives in full sun on moist, well-drained soil and tolerates British conditions superbly.

Mature size: Typically 3 to 6 m tall and wide; usually a broad, low-domed small tree, easily kept compact and well suited to smaller gardens.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Medlar 'Nottingham' is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to typically 3 to 6 m tall and wide, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (usually a broad, low-domed small tree, easily kept compact and well suited to smaller gardens.). Indoors and in a pot, expect typically 3 to 6 m tall and wide. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — usually a broad, low-domed small tree, easily kept compact and well suited to smaller gardens. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Growth rate and years to mature

Medlar 'Nottingham' is a fast grower. Realistically, expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Its feeding profile backs this up: undemanding. a spring mulch of compost or well-rotted manure and an occasional balanced fertiliser is ample; over-feeding promotes leaf at the expense of fruit.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the medlar 'nottingham' repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast medlar 'nottingham' grows.

How to keep medlar 'nottingham' smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For medlar 'nottingham' specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

The decisive tool is the secateurs: medlar 'nottingham' can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape.
Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size.
Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height.
Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Pick the new height. Decide how tall you want medlar 'nottingham' and find a leaf node or branch point just below that.
Top the main stem. Cut the main growing tip cleanly just above that node in spring; this permanently caps the height and forces side branches.
Keep the pot snug. Avoid jumping to a much bigger pot — a slightly restricted rootball keeps the whole plant smaller.
Maintain the shape. Prune back the tallest new leaders each spring to hold it at the height you chose.

How to grow medlar 'nottingham' bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for medlar 'nottingham' the accelerators are:

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators.
Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back.
Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The medlar 'nottingham' light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When medlar 'nottingham' outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for medlar 'nottingham':

The top leaves pressing against or bent by the ceiling — the classic "this is now too tall indoors" sign.
It has to be moved away from a light source it has literally outgrown.
Roots filling the largest pot you can reasonably keep indoors — at that point it is top-or-prune or move it outside (if hardy).

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the medlar 'nottingham' repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the medlar 'nottingham' propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Medlar 'Nottingham' size — frequently asked questions

How big does medlar 'nottingham' get?

Medlar 'Nottingham' reaches typically 3 to 6 m tall and wide when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (usually a broad, low-domed small tree, easily kept compact and well suited to smaller gardens.). It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Is medlar 'nottingham' slow or fast growing?

Medlar 'Nottingham' is a fast grower. Expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Medlar 'Nottingham' is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to typically 3 to 6 m tall and wide, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (usually a broad, low-domed small tree, easily kept compact and well suited to smaller gardens.).

How long does medlar 'nottingham' take to reach full size?

Roughly two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep medlar 'nottingham' smaller?

The decisive tool is the secateurs: medlar 'nottingham' can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape. Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size. Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height. Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

How can I make medlar 'nottingham' grow bigger or faster?

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators. Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back. Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.