Hawthorn or Crataegus is a beautiful thorny bush with a bushy, dense habit. This small bush rarely exceeds 6 m in height with a 4 m spread. It is covered in spring with delicate white or pink flowering and bears small colourful, edible fruits in autumn. Hawthorn is ideal in a natural garden, within an informal, mixed, formal or defensive hedge. Undemanding and very hardy, it requires no maintenance and tolerates pruning particularly well. Discover our advice on when and how to prune a hawthorn.
Why pruning a hawthorn?
Pruning a hawthorn is not obligatory but can be useful to let light into the branches. In hawthorns, branches tend to become naturally tangled, forming an inextricable network and preventing light from entering. Pruning also promotes branching, helps rebalance habit or simply limits height or bulk. Well-considered pruning renews shoots that over time become less floriferous. In an informal hedge or a bed with a wild style, you can preserve hawthorn’s natural habit and leave pruning shear aside.
When to prune a hawthorn?
Work at end of winter, in February–March before growth resumes or immediately after flowering, i.e. late June–early July, or at start of autumn in September–October. If you prune in summer, you will forgo bush’s fruiting, which birds love, but you will not sacrifice following year’s flowering. Always prune outside freezing periods.
How to prune a hawthorn?
Maintenance pruning
If you grow hawthorns in an informal hedge, prune only what is obstructive. You can let your hawthorns grow freely or limit yourself to maintenance pruning. This annual pruning keeps a harmonious habit and induces greater branching. Prune branch tips from planting to encourage branching.
- With pruning shears or a shear, remove stray or tangled stems that upset hawthorn’s balance and clutter centre of branches
- Remove dead and desiccated stems at their base
- Prune overly long, sparsely floriferous shoots
- If you wish to preserve fruiting, do not remove all shoots
Pruning for a formal hedge
With its dense, bushy habit, hawthorn is perfect for forming a neat hedge. It tolerates severe pruning very well. Use a cord to guide a straight cut: prune along the cord with your shear or use a hedge trimmer.
Training as a standard
It is entirely possible to train a hawthorn as a standard tree. To do so:
- From planting, cut lower lateral branches, gradually raising cut up to crown over years to keep single trunk
- Regularly remove all new suckers at their base
- Prune crown regularly to maintain balanced shape
What equipment to prune a hawthorn?
Use clean cutting tools disinfected with methylated spirits before use to avoid transmitting diseases between plants. To prune hawthorn you will need:
- Hawthorn garden gloves, perfect for protecting hands from its thorny branches
- A pruning shear for lower branches
- hedge shears, or even a lopper for highest branches
- A hedge trimmer depending on hawthorn height
- String for use when trimming a hedge to a cord guide
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