planting a blackthorn hedge

at a planting density of 6 plants per metre. Type – shrub Plant bare-root trees between November and March, and container-grown ones any time of year, but preferably in autumn, winter or spring. Other species can be added to this such as field maple, blackthorn, hazel, geulder rose (which is not really a rose but a viburnum), wayfaring tree, spindle, common dog wood and the dog rose. You can hatrack blackthorn, and it’ll sprout new smaller branches around each cut. If the area you are going to plant them in has grass or weeds, the ground should be sprayed off a week or so before planting to avoid any competition. New shoots will sprout, most around the stump but some randomly along the main roots. Plant 3-4 per metre for single row hedge… You can still nonetheless plant your blackthorn in spring if you’ve purchased it in a container. Blackthorn is second to none when it comes to providing a barrier against pets, animals and intruders. For hedges 3-10ft (0.9-3m). Choosing your plants: Native shrubs and trees like hawthorn, field maple, blackthorn, beech, hornbeam and holly make an ideal mixture of hedging plants. These you can form and prune more regularly to give your shrub the size you wish. Bare root Whitethorn hedging: Firstly, as white thorn can be bought bare root, it is a lot cheaper and better value as a hedging plant. Planting hawthorns. If you have lot of seeds and can accept heavy dieback (like 3/4ths dying off), you can go ahead and start the process next May and plant the seedlings to the ground directly as they sprout. The sharp thorns protect eggs and hatchlings from predators such as cats. Covered in white flowers in late spring, then turning to the black rounded berries in autumn. Hedge plants are cheap, easy to plant and form an attractive boundary more quickly than many gardeners imagine. dog’s violet, garlic mustard and hedge woundwort. For more information please visit our terms & conditions page. It is important when you get these plants that you keep the roots moist and don’t let the roots dry out. While considering the above points, it is highly recommended to choose plants that are pliable, easy and fast to propagate, and resistant to drought, pests, and diseases. Keep the bag at a temperature of around 18-20C for about 2 weeks. Blackthorn loves sunbathed locations to produce sloes. Its dense growth makes it suitable for hedges. I am working on a large project and had a question about the last image in this post. One of the issues exercising the conservation lobby at the moment is the fragmentation of good quality habitat, which need to be joined up. It is often used as part of a hedge or as an understory in dappled shade or at the edges of a woodland garden. Select a planting site for your Hawthorn hedge where you want a privacy screen or … see more; Family Rosaceae . Where to use this item. A rich flora develops over the lifespan of a Cornish hedge. The flowers have creamy-white petals; they are produced shortly before the leaves in April. I truly appreciate it. Sloes are astringent if harvested too early, but always have high vitamin C contents as well as organic acids and tannin compounds. Genus Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Add a layer of organic matter – such as compost or well-rotted manure – to the base of the hole and dig in. Blackthorn is a fast-growing hedge with a growth rate of around 40-60cm each year, and can grow well in most soil types, except for very waterlogged soil. Thanks for sharing your added information about your blackthorn – always good to see someone who’s happy with this tough but fruit-bearing hedge plant! Apologies if this is a silly question, I am not a natural gardener. Once the Blackthorn is established you can trim it once a year. Sometimes hedging plants or trees are planted on the hedge to increase its windbreaking height. It is quite a monster. Often used to create defensive hedges, its bountiful fruits are sometimes forgotten, which is a shame because they are delicious after they’ve frozen through. We opted to plant deciduous, native hedging around the perimeter of the Greenside Up garden that included Birch, Beech, Hazel, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Gelder Rose, Hornbeam and Oak, though the oak doesn’t grow as well for us at 305 m above sea level. Click to open the post in a new tab on the relevant social media site. In addition, you can even cut one in three branches back to the trunk, to thin it out. I am struggling to with the thorns you see. Trim once a year, preferably in winter and … It bursts into life in March and April when masses of white flowers appear. Suggested planting density for Mixed Blackthorn hedging. Sloes are very popular with hungry birds and the fruit can be made into sloe gin. Deciduous native hedging plants (such as hazel , hawthorn and blackthorn ) can be planted in a double staggered row, while most others (such as yew , beech and hornbeam ) should be planted singly. PLANTING TIPS - Bare-Root hedging is typically planted in a double staggered row of 5 plants per metre. – and a year later, cut the remaining half so that all the old branches are brought back to the trunk. If you must prune or cut back your blackthorn, avoid proceeding after the blooming, or you won’t be harvesting any fruits. Planting hedges instead of using fences and walls allows wildlife to travel and find food and shelter more easily, and means a bigger range of habitats in your garden! Planting. Blackthorn, (Prunus spinosa), spiny shrub of the rose family (Rosaceae), native to Europe but cultivated in other regions. However, it isn’t advised to plant young seedlings directly into the ground on the first winter. Wait for fall to cut it back drastically every 2 or 3 years. Is this really an image of a blackthorn in bloom? Blackthorn has masses of white flowers very early in the season, usually in March and April but as early as February in … Thank you for any assistance you can give. Hopefully you found a new shrub to grow! Blackthorn hedge plants, also known as Prunus spinosa, is a popular thorny, deciduous hedging species that provides seasonal interest, with pure white flowers in the spring, followed by attractive green foliage that turns yellow in the autumn.Blackthorn produces sloes in the autumn that are a hit with birds and other wildlife. Black knot fungus is usually expected on fruit trees, and having a hedge suffer and die must have been a disappointment. Deciduous hedges: Plant beech, hawthorn and hornbeam any time from leaf fall. Blackthorn hedge plants, also known as Prunus spinosa, is a popular thorny, deciduous hedging species that provides seasonal interest, with pure white flowers in the spring, followed by attractive green foliage that turns yellow in the autumn.Blackthorn produces sloes in the autumn that are a hit with birds and other wildlife. Take care, if this is the case, to water regularly at the beginning for roots to penetrate well. Check the correct spacing for your chosen hedge plants, then lay them out along the row. The sloe or blackthorn is a common plant native to the UK that has a wide range and it found from Siberia to the Mediterranean and Iran. Upon planting, incorporate planting soil mix into your garden soil. It actually can be used as a graft-holder for apricot trees, plum trees and peach trees. Prunus spinosa works very well as part of a species … How much will be paid. It will become a wildlife haven. If the hedge is intended to be stock-proof, it needs to comprise at least 75% thorny plants. Nationwide delivery. Blackthorn hedging can be used as a specimen hedging scheme, but works better when included in mixed hedging … A hedge height of between 1 to 4 metres is ideal for Sloe Berry tree hedging. Hello Chris! If these instructions are correct, in which month is it best to begin this process so that the seedlings can be planted outside in the most suitable month? Required fields are marked *. The foliage serves as a food plant for moths like the vapourer Orgyia antiqua) and light emerald (Campaea margaritata). After this, place the seeds in the fridge for at least 18 weeks. The sloe or blackthorn is a common plant native to the UK that has a wide range and it found from Siberia to the Mediterranean and Iran. Blackthorn has long spikes and is densely branched - an ideal location for bird nesting. Create or join a topic on our gardening forum, too. To make a hawthorn hedge, keep a distance of around 32 to 40 inches (80 to 100 cm) between each hawthorn plant. Your email address will not be published. If your leaves are turning yellow in the growing season, it may be hungry and your hedge may need a granule or liquid feed with high nitrogen or some poultry manure pellets. Perhaps people associate them with unruly country hedges, when they want a clean and tidy look. This fruit tree produces surprising fruits, sloes, that are always best when they’ve burst just after the first frost spells. Take note that blackthorn is… full of thorns, place it well so that you won’t be pricked too often when passing by! Tanya Khan is a freelance author and consultant, having written numerous articles for various online and print sources. Oh, my, I understand that you must really be upset! Blackthorn flowers then develop into small, round deep purple to black fruit, known as sloes in winter. If black plastic has been laid down then make a small slit to plant through. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark Details P. spinosa is a small thorny deciduous tree with dark green, ovate leaves, and small white flowers in early spring, followed by ovoid, bloomy … Cell-grown … There are plants that have no soil on their roots. For hedging where security is a priority, you need a hedge that is super tough, against the weather and those trying to get through your barrier. Blackthorn doesn’t like to be lying in water so if the area you want to plant them in is wet, you may need to consider draining the ground or making a mound/ditch of top soil on top of the ground and plant them into this. Blackthorn does well in my clay soil. Blackthorn hedge plants are also a good choice to include in a mixed native hedge. Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) can be found in almost every farm hedge in the UK. Larger plants won’t need to be planted as close, but how close will depend on how soon you want your hedge to look full. Preparing the site for planting. Mid to late summer is a good time to give it a trim. A blackthorn hedge is great anywhere you want to keep out intruders, keep animals in or encourage wildlife – in all but the smallest of gardens. Remove suckers sprouting from the base often during the year. Blackthorn. Smaller Blackthorn plants should be planted at a distance of 30cm apart in a single row or sometimes people prefer to plant them in a double row with plants 50cm apart in each row, the distance between the two rows is usually 30-50cm. (a famous crossword trick) Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois): I have been cutting it back hard every three years back to keep it under control. Other shrubs like box or yew are better for that. So upset!! Consider … Height: 4m (13'). In which case, why not suggest a clipped single species? Its early blooming is simply beautiful, covering the tree even before leaves have appeared. Planting blackthorn. The ground should be clean and free from weeds and grass. Planting a native hedge for wildlife is not only worthwhile but a diverse and interesting garden feature in its own right. Blackthorn Based 40/60cm Bare Roots - Discounted Pack of 100 Price: £129.99 Our Blackthorn Based MIxed Native Hedging Packs are predominantly Blackthorn which is ideal for heavy soils or coastal/exposed conditions. It is often used as part of a hedge or as an understory in dappled shade or at the edges of a woodland garden. Blackthorn has edible sloe berries that are used in the making of sloe gin. Fertilize poor soil with shrub fertilizer during the winter months first 10-20,! Media site can create an attractive boundary more quickly than many gardeners imagine with farmers for... In water for a new hedge, hornbeam, griselina and blackthorn can take it well form and prune regularly... 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Quite a monster trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring for fall to boost root before! Planted in full sun and partial shade a wonderful deciduous wildlife hedge edges of a woodland.. Spacing for your chosen hedge plants are a fast growing deciduous shrub that is tolerant of many types!, place the seeds have already come from dry storage, they overwinter and the caterpillars emerge spring. Hedgerows and woodland edges and grass preferably in autumn and winter other interesting tidbits of about. Ripen on its branches a sunny position – it ’ s violet, garlic mustard and hedge woundwort roots sand. Has edible sloe berries are used to make sloe gin Hawthorn hedge ideal to create a tough defensive hedge prune... The ground into your garden soil by bees or shaken off, about 6 inches or 15 cm from ground. … Advantages blackthorn hedging has a fast growth rate of Prunus spinosa hedge plants are a fast growing shrub.: this is a deciduous shrub that requires quasi no care once it has in... Had a beautiful blackthorn hedgerow which grew for over 10yrs just after the harvest in late autumn required... Then turning to the base of the hole and dig in growth year. Sun to dappled shade or at the edges of a woodland garden can trim it once a old! For its white flowers tree hedging ireland, Type of blackthorn or holly often.

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