Hawthorn- how do I make it bushy?

[Wonderfulcheapfalafel]

Hi, I have just acquired a single hawthorn tree/hedge plant. It's to go in a gap where an over grown privet has recently expired. It's a little woodland area of the garden.

The plant itself is quite tall but really spindly, just one long branch really with a few puny lower branches. Will it just spread naturally or shall I chop the top off to help it?

I would like it eventually to bush out and fill the gap but mainly just look lovely

Any tips?

Click the pruning info on here

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/hawthorn/growing-guide

Ah thank you!
Good old RHS

When I was growing up in the 60s there was an old man who lived in a half derelict cottage nearby who used to lay hedges, Mr Williams.
He'd grow hawthorn plants from seeds in his garden and use the whips to fill holes in hedges. I remember watching him, and him telling me about what he was doing and showing me how he would plant the whips, with roots, and then cut them right down to the last few buds.
These would grow up in the spring with several shoots coming up, which would in turn were cut back in autumn. Within a couple of years bushy plants were growing, with no gaps at their bases so they would act as part of a stock-proof hedge.

Hedging whips (and other tree species) have all the growth hormones (auxins) at the very top of the higher branches, and those hormones will suppress any latent buds lower down on the trunk. The only way to thicken it up and get branching lower down is to chop it back really hard so it produces lots of new branches from nearer the base. As @Ifailed describes above.

Oh thank you, this is helpful, I chopped the top 30cmn off but maybe I need to be more brave!