BEAUTIFUL INDIA HAWTHORNS USHER IN SPRING.

Byline: Joshua Siskin

You can tell that spring has really sprung when the India hawthorns are in bloom. Each spring, no shrub flowers with greater reliability than the India hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica).

It adapts to every type of soil and watering regime.

It grows in sun and light shade and is virtually pest free.

India hawthorn blooms in pink or white. The pink varieties are more frequently seen but a white variety, the highly compact ``Clara,'' is definitely worth cultivating.

There is a freshness to ``Clara'' that is without parallel in spring shrubs. Its heavy mantle of sparkling white flowers is complemented by a shimmering array of soft, lime green foliage.

The pink India hawthorns come in all shapes and sizes. The tallest varieties, such as ``Springtime,'' grow more than 6 feet tall, but there are also varieties for Japanese gardens and containers - such as ``Ballerina,'' ``Dancer'' and ``Enchantress'' - that grow only 2 or 3 feet tall. India hawthorns, which originate in China and India, are so named because of their close botanical affinity to the true hawthorn (Crataegus species).

The true hawthorn, also a spring bloomer, is typically associated with winters colder than those experienced in Los Angeles.

However, it makes a fine 20- to 30-foot tall specimen tree in the colder Antelope Valley. The leaves of the true hawthorn turn brilliant shades of red, bronze and yellow in the fall, and several species produce edible red fruit.

Denis McLean of Alhambra e-mailed as follows: ``I have a Japanese maple that I feel could be doing a lot better than it is. The tree is growing in an area with plenty of shade, about the same conditions as my mom's tree in Glendale, but hers is flourishing. Her tree last year sprouted leaves in April and lost them in November, while mine started showing leaves in early June and lost them in September. Anything you could suggest as far as when to prune, or what type of fertilizer to apply, would be greatly appreciated.''

When a plant begins its growth cycle late in the spring and completes it only three months later, something is wrong. Your Japanese maple is under stress.

More often than not, a poorly growing tree is the result of a mistake made at planting time. If the tree was planted too deep or too shallow in the ground, it will not grow properly. If the planting hole was not wide enough - it should be at least twice the diameter of the root ball - the tree may struggle.

I would also check the quality of your soil. Japanese maples require the same soft, acidic soil that is friendly to azaleas. If your soil is alkaline or compacted, you will not have an easy time growing Japanese maples. These trees are also sensitive to wind, so make sure your shady location is a protected one. Finally, unless you acquired a named Japanese maple variety, you have a seedling tree, a one-of-a-kind specimen whose adaptability to local conditions might be questionable.

I would recommend a mild fertilizer - since stronger products can burn delicate Japanese maple leaves - such as GroPower Plus, a 5-3-1 formulation with sulfur. These numbers indicate that the fertilizer's active ingredients include 5 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorus and 1 percent potassium.