The BuildHub Gardening Blog

I planted a few as part of an edible hedge a couple of years ago. Its position on the plot means it didn't get the water it probably needed during the worst of the hot periods we've had over the last two summers, so I daren't show you how unhappy they currently look!

I planted some bare root blackthorn as part of a mix for gapping up an existing hedge in spring this year.  The hot dry spell has taken its toll on the blackthorn, but everything else is mostly OK (hawthorn, wild cherry, Hazel, field maple).  Not sure if the blackthorn is more susceptible to drought, or I just got  dodgy batch of plants. 

 

On the opposite side of the plot I cut back some overgrown straggly blackthorn pretty hard, but it seems to be responding well.  It should provide a secure hedge with plenty of interest, but it's evil stuff to work with.

The only issue I have seen flagged up is that they put out suckers, so need to be kept an eye on.

We have a mixed blackthorn and hawthorn hedge at the front of the property which I keep at around 1m high. All went in as two year old bare rooted whips and was completely filled in after four years and is around 0.8m thick. The sparrows love it, and when the sparrowhawk visits and sits on the top of the hedge the sparrows make so much noise that we go outside and scare the predator away.

 

Edited September 1, 2020 by PeterStarck

1 hour ago, PeterStarck said:

We have a mixed blackthorn and hawthorn hedge at the front of the property which I keep at around 1m high. All went in as two year old bare rooted whips and was completely filled in after four years and is around 0.8m thick. The sparrows love it, and when the sparrowhawk visits and sits on the top of the hedge the sparrows make so much noise that we go outside and scare the predator away.

 

 

That's interesting.

 

Do you get any sloes from it?

 

(PS I quoted this in the sloe thread over at Gardeners World https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1045988/sloe-picking/p1)

Edited September 1, 2020 by Ferdinand

Blackthorn is very common as hedging in Ireland. It generally won't fruit unless mature and untrimmed and in the right conditions. I'm doing a mix of blackthorn, whitethorn and hawthorn to cover an existing panel fence.

 

There is one along a field near us and for about two weeks in spring it's basically a wall of white flowers.

 

Plenty of blackthorn bushes in the jungle. The hedgerow at the front is mixed hawthorn, blackthorn and others. I have no plans to do anything other than maintain it at 6 feet in height and keep it looking full.

 

Looks like I will get a good crop of sloes this year. Plenty of gin needed!

How long do the leaves stay?

 

I have a corner that needs a bit more gentle windbreak.

13 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

Do you get any sloes from it?

Yes there are sloes on there every year but not in huge quantities. There are enough for the blackbirds though. For a large crop it needs to grow 2m to 3m tall and untrimmed.

11 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

How long do the leaves stay?

Around here the leaves can stay on until the end of the year, almost as long as the alders. Just depends on the weather.

I've loads of self sown blackthorn grown up around our cess pit / septic tank. I've never used the sloes, I know what they're feeding off! They certainly push out suckers and you'll have vicious little ones springing up if not managed. Had to cut loads down just to find the cess pool.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

Around here the leaves can stay on until the end of the year, almost as long as the alders. Just depends on the weather.

 

People who live in the tropics ... ?.

 

My bicycling friend in Deal (who is in her 60s) spent most of August on the beach or in the sea.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Ferdinand

22 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

People who live in the tropics ... ?.

 

My bicycling friend in Deal (who is in her 60s) spent most of August on the beach or in the sea.

 

Not called The Garden of England for nothing!

18 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Not called The Garden of England for nothing!

 

Agreed there - one of my favourite September things is the wild damsons in the hedges near Bradwell Power Station. You could fill a wheelbarrow with them.

 

(Not Kent, but still South of Birmingham.)

Edited September 2, 2020 by Ferdinand

56 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Agreed there - one of my favourite September things is the wild damsons in the hedges near Bradwell Power Station. You could fill a wheelbarrow with them.

 

(Not Kent, but still South of Birmingham.)

 

You should try the seafood around Dungeness...

 

Interesting post. We have some hawthorn on our shelter belt next to the house it's really prickly but great with our oaks for birds and other critters. 

 

I like the hawthorn because it's a natural deterrence to beasts coming into the garden.

 

This might be a project for next year but will most likely need to make a hedge around our stock fencing, is the blackthorn, just as prickly as the hawthorn but we should be able to harvest it to make sloe gin?

 

Also is this a concern?

 

https://thewildenmarshblog.com/2015/12/03/blackthorn-poisoning-a-warning/

We have lots of "wild" blackthorn in hedges (or "dykes" as we call them) round here and it's resilient stuff, seems to flower best after a hard winter when it can be quite a sight, looks like there's been a fall of snow. Round here it seems to make sloes even when trimmed, though maybe not quite as many as when left to grow naturally. To make a good dense hedge, regular trimming seems necessary.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Reiver

First sloes have been harvested and are now in the freezer to split them. Next step is to get a couple of bottles of gin.

 

I have never liked gin, and think it tastes like perfume. However, Slo Gin, Nice.......

On 01/09/2020 at 17:14, PeterStarck said:

We have a mixed blackthorn and hawthorn hedge at the front of the property which I keep at around 1m high. All went in as two year old bare rooted whips and was completely filled in after four years and is around 0.8m thick. The sparrows love it, and when the sparrowhawk visits and sits on the top of the hedge the sparrows make so much noise that we go outside and scare the predator away.

 

 

Out of interest what centres did you plant at and in a regular line or staggered?

 

We planted a 5 species hedge mix against a South facing fence. Big mistake for maintaining the fence but SWMBO has the deranged idea the hedge will eventually replace the fence! Barely trim the hedge tbh and it must be over 6' high now. 

 

Same down the front, I went to all the trouble of making bespoke trellis fence panels set between grooved concrete posts and she plants holly inside. Luckily the mature beech and conifers adjacent have insured that's got little chance of doing much. 

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Out of interest what centres did you plant at and in a regular line or staggered?

I couldn't remember what the spacing is so just went out and measured it at 300mm and they're in a straight line. You can just about see the plants behind the wire mesh.

I prefer hedges to fences and I just put a rabbit proof fence in front of the hawthorns and blackthorns.

In the past I have found holly to be very slow growing and we grow Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine) up our posts and trellis. It is covered in flowers in the summer and smells gorgeous.

I've a wooden trellis arch built by the previous owners that collapsed, uprooting the clematis growing up it and laying it horizontal on the ground. It's gone mad since. 

 

Half a plan is some gabion columns, maybe an arch type structure, that I'll fill with flints as they turn up. Believe me they do!

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

I've a wooden trellis arch built by the previous owners that collapsed, uprooting the clematis growing up it and laying it horizontal on the ground. It's gone mad since. 

 

Half a plan is some gabion columns, maybe an arch type structure, that I'll fill with flints as they turn up. Believe me they do!

 

My clematis trellis was decaying, so I added a supplementary frame like a 2m post and rail horse fence, and it is still standing a few years later.

A couple of litres of sloe vodka in production!

 

 

That's the sloe harvest dealt with... Now to finish getting the Bramleys peeled, cored and frozen. Can't do much else with them this year - too much risk of them being pre-enjoyed by critters. I ought to do something with the crab apples and the undesclosed eating apples too. Shame the birds beat me to more or less all the blackberries this year.

That's 200ml  of commission for me then.

 

Good.