Medlar Westerveld A tree for the orchard, Mespilus germanica Westerveld is a medium-sized, deciduous, quite fast-growing tree with a very spreading habit. It’s a reliable cropper, with larger fruits than usual, and one of the best for making medlar jelly. The leaves are long, green and ovoid, and turn yellow-brown in autumn. Beautiful single rose-like flowers are borne in late May and early June, and are followed by russet-brown fruit.  Medlar Westerveld is self-fertile and quite drought-tolerant. You can ‘blet’ the fruit until it is soft, and eat it with cream; it has a distinctive, rich, slightly musty taste, or make delicious medlar jelly from it. Site: Tolerates exposureSoil: Any moist but well-drained or well-drained soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadePick: Late October and NovemberKeep: ‘Blet’ the fruit in a larder until it is soft, and eat it with cream; also good for jellyHardiness: Very hardyPollination: Self-fertileUses: Eating when soft and preserving