Hawthorn hedge

[KingscoteStaff]

At the end of my London terrace garden is a very sad old apple tree and a horrible chain link fence covered in ivy.

I want to take tree and ivy out and replace them with a hawthorn hedge ending with a hawthorn tree in the corner.

Any suggestions for which species of hedge/tree would match or look good together?

Also, any suggestions for a supplier for either hedge or tree or both?

You could try the Woodland Trust even though it is a Woodland setting.

There's common hawthorn and a variety called Paul's scarlet which has lovely red/hot pink flowers. I've never seen Paul's scarlet available as young plants for heading but you could get common hawthorn for the hedge and then the red flowering one for the tree. I've used ashridge trees and habitat aid for various trees and bare root hedging and been very impressed by both.

Thanks chaps - will investigate those suppliers.

'Paul's Scarlet' is considered a bit suburban front garden, a cliche paired with a laburnum. There's a nice double white called crataegus laevigata 'Plena' and that comes in pink too -'Crataegus laevigata Rosea Flore Plena'

Common hawthorn crataegus monogyna makes a fabulous hedge, I think, and its's wildlife friendly too. Not common in towns which is all the more reason to use it. There are various more exotic varieties you could use for your specimen tree - the cockspur hawthorn is nice - but I don't think any of the exotic ones beat a regular native hawthorn in full flower or berry. Maybe the double white...

The thing is, the more I garden (which is a lot and for a long time, and written about it too) the more pared down my tastes have become. So I'd go for the common one, both for hedge and tree. But you may want to branch out. Great choice though.

I can't stand plant snobbery to be honest but it's nice to know the names of some other varieties!

Common hawthorn crataegus monogyna makes a fabulous hedge Not if you’re the one picking up the hedge trimmings

My specimen trees are simply Crataegus monogyna from the hedge that I’ve allowed to grow. Covered in flowers and berries, whereas a hawthorn hedge doesn’t have many flowers. Had a flock of waxwings one year.

Hawthorn makes a good stock-proof hedge, in the countryside. It's horrible for gardens. It won't flower well if kept trimmed, and the trimmings are a bitch to handle because of the thorns.

If you do want to that you are running out of time.

Ivy is a favoured nesting place for birds and nesting season is juts around the corner. It seems to be earlier every year. You might want to do it in the Autumn. It's also better to plant hedges and trees then.

I’ve got a hawthorn hedge round my allotment. It’s not been a huge success. It’s horrible to cut, does need trimmed so you don’t really get flowers or berries.

My neighbours have a mixed hedge that seems much more successful. They bought it on line from a hedging company as little sticks 10 years ago. They have a hawthorn tree in it which does have berries. It’s also got honey suckle, roses, beech etc it’s lovely.

…als ivy is fantastic for wildlife if you could somehow make that work for you…

Ok, all good points @MereDintofPandiculation @GeodesicDome @JustJam4Tea

So if I go for a Hawthorn tree in the corner, what would you suggest as a wildlife friendly, visually interesting alternative for my 7 metre long back hedge?

I'm doing a similar thing to replace a row of conifers. I've bought a mix of native trees from https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/mixednativeehedgingrange.html

I'm doing a similar thing to replace a row of conifers. I've bought a mix of native trees from https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/mixednativeehedgingrange.html

@KingscoteStaff

Ok, all good points *@MereDintofPandiculation* *@GeodesicDome* *@JustJam4Tea*

So if I go for a Hawthorn tree in the corner, what would you suggest as a wildlife friendly, visually interesting alternative for my 7 metre long back hedge?

Single flowered hawthorn will be better for wildlife than a double flowered

Go for midland hawthorn (crataegus laevigata) rather than normal hawthorn (crataegus monogyna), as midland hawthorn flowers more readily and the flowers sometimes have a nice pinkish tinge too.

For a specimen tree you could have a rowan.

@StyleDesperation

I can't stand plant snobbery to be honest but it's nice to know the names of some other varieties!

I know. It's bad and lazy of me and I'm sure there are lots of ways use the scarlet hawthorn effectively. But it's no more that gurus like Christopher Lloyd and Robin Lane Fox and Graham Stuart Thomas have said. And surely discrimination and wanting to go beyond the obvious is how we learn and refine our tastes. So, I am sorry about that but it is my job to pontificate about plant choices. Perhaps without being so flippant, though.

The native species does take a lot of beating as well as being better for the ecosystem. Thinking about the attraction of insects to white flowers, for instance. The pale pink would be the Proustian choice as half of Swann's Way has him banging on about the bloody pink aubepin.

@MereDintofPandiculation

Common hawthorn crataegus monogyna makes a fabulous hedge Not if you’re the one picking up the hedge trimmings

My specimen trees are simply Crataegus monogyna from the hedge that I’ve allowed to grow. Covered in flowers and berries, whereas a hawthorn hedge doesn’t have many flowers. Had a flock of waxwings one year.

Agree totally. I bloody hate dealing with our hawthorn hedge, and there's no cover in winter. If it wasn't for the mess it would make grubbing it out, I would

@20DigitCombination

I'm doing a similar thing to replace a row of conifers. I've bought a mix of native trees from [[https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/mixed]]nativeehedgingrange.html

I'd second using hedges direct, I've used them a couple of times, recommended them loads at the garden centre I work with and to my gardening clients.

I've got elder trees which can be kept hedge height and just got rowan and hawthorn as specimen trees. I wanted to stick with native trees for wildlife.

Should add all three have white blossoms which run one after another and all have berries. Rowan and hawthorn will have longer lasting berries in autumn.

Don’t do it, OP! Hawthorns drop berries. Which sprout all over your garden into nasty little saplings with stabby thorns like barbed wire. You will rip your hands to shreds every time you try to do the weeding and pull the little bastards out. They root hard and fast too. I used to have a hawthorn. Note the past tense….

We have a beech hedge - it keeps it's russet leaves well into the winter, still has them now so looks nice and bright. I would go for that, good for birds nests.