Hawthorn, May Blossom, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata

Common hawthorn, May Blossom, also known as May tree and Quickthorn. This is a native species in the British Isles, Ireland and Northern Europe, and we’ll be looking at both Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus laevigata, or English hawthorn.

It is a fascinating and useful plant for our gardens, parks and hedgerows. I have mentioned some of the superstitions surrounding May blossom in a previous blog on unlucky plants. But this time I’d like to celebrate Hawthorn’s positive aspects. And I’ve added some fun facts at the end.

Where to Grow Hawthorn

This is one of those small trees which really will grow pretty much anywhere in the UK. It tolerates most soils, clay, chalk, sandy, even damp soil although not fully waterlogged. And just to add to its excellent qualities, Crataegus is a hardy, frost tolerant plant and suitable for growing in exposed, windy gardens and seaside gardens!

Whilst its happy in either in sun or partial shade, you’ll get more flowers in a sunny spot. Crataegus monogyna has an almond-scented single flower, generally white, but pale pink is also found. I have also seen a white flecked with pink variation.

Growing up to about 10’ / 3m in height, it can be pruned to keep it smaller. Making it suitable for a wide range of garden sizes. Although not usually thought of as suitable for growing in a pot, I once had to keep one in a pot for three years, until it could be planted and it was fine.

Deer will only strip the bark off young plants, so keep those protected at first and then you have a deer proof plant! They will eat some of the leaves but that’s not a problem.

Hawthorn, pale pink blossom, Hawthorn_blossom_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3988508

Hawthorn in the Ornamental Garden

Whether grown as an individual specimen, as part of a mixed hedge or in with other wildlife friendly plants in the flower border, Crataegus is a welcome addition to your ornamental planting. If the common hawthorn doesn’t appeal (see section below for hedges) what about planting one of these options?

The combination of fragrant blossom and berries is always a good one for giving variation during the year and very useful in a front garden or a small garden. Many of those named below have good autumn leaf colour too.

Upright Hawthorn

As a specimen tree, I would personally grow Crataegus monogyna ‘Stricta’, also known as Crataegus monogyna ‘Fastigiata’. This is an upright, columnar form of the common Hawthorn, reaching 8 – 12 m in height. The elegant shape allows for underplanting to make a spring garden feature or with summer flowering herbaceous perennials.

Compact Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna ‘Compacta’ is, as you would expect, a shorter version, reaching only 2.5m high. Another bonus for smaller gardens is its lack of thorns! This is one I would try growing in a large container.

May_blossom_on_a_Hawthorn_in_May_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7498077

Midland Hawthorn

This hawthorn is Crataegus laevigata, also known as woodland hawthorn, English hawthorn and smooth hawthorn. This is also a native species, but most commonly in found in central and southern England. It flowers earlier than Crataegus monogyna so when you see hawthorn blooming by mid-April it could well be this one.

Excellent for a shadier spot, it grows best in woodlands and woodland edge gardens. And is an indicator of ancient woodland. A slightly smaller and slower growing tree reaching 6-8m, it is also tolerant of most soils and locations.

Hybridisation between the two species Crataegus laevigata and Crataegus monogyna can happen, and indeed, is a common occurrence. One of the ways to tell the difference between the two is to check how many seeds the berries have: Crataegus monogyna has only one.

There are some very decorative cultivars of Crataegus laevigata available for an ornamental small tree. Those with double flowers, are not as good for many pollinators, but still have wildlife credentials. For example –

Double Pink Hawthorn

Crataegus laevigata ‘Rosea Flore Pleno’ has pale to mid pink double flowers and red-black fruits. Grows to 6-8m.

‘Paul’s Scarlet’

Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’ is a red double flowered hawthorn with yellow-bronze leaves in autumn. You may also find it listed as Crataegus × media, Crataegus laevigata ‘Coccinea Plena’.

Hawthorn ‘Pink Corkscrew’

Crataegus laevigata ‘Pink Corkscrew’ brings a winter season of interest to the fore! The twisted stems are particularly noticeable when young and the flowers are a bright pink. Grows to about 5m. also known as Crataegus oxycantha ‘Pink Corkscrew’.

Hawthorn ‘Crimson Cloud’

Crataegus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud, but is a hybrid of ‘Paul’s Scarlet’ and ‘Charles X’, so it may be found under Crataegus × media ‘Crimson Cloud’. A single flower red-pink flowers with a white centre. Smaller at 4-5m tall and I have heard of it being happy in a pot for over three years.

Hawthorn Hedges

With its thorny stems and growing into a dense thicket, hawthorn makes an effective barrier hedge to keep livestock contained. It has been used as such for centuries. And kept pruned to encourage dense growth, hawthorn is also a deer-resistant hedge.

If that all sounds very rural, consider that in a garden setting, hawthorn makes a decorative, burglar-deterrent hedge.

As one of its common names, Quickthorn, suggests, it is a fast-growing deciduous plant. An average of 40-50 cm growth per year can easily be attained. Which means that buying bundles of bare root hedging hawthorn is the most economical way to buy in quantity. They will need to be bought and planted during their dormant season, ie over winter. (see blog link below).

bare root hawthorn plants, crataegus monogyna, hedge plant, native species

Wildlife Friendly Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna can support more than 300 insects! The caterpillars of the Hawthorn Moth obviously enjoy munching on its leaves, but they are joined by nearly a dozen more. May blossom is rich in nectar and pollen; so is a treat for bees, butterflies and many pollinating insects. Also, if you are lucky enough to have them in your wildlife garden, dormice delight in eating the flowers. The hazel dormouse is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 and is an at risk species.

When it comes to the season of autumn, haw berries provide a nutritious take-away snack for many migrating birds. British native birds and small mammals also eat the red berries.

Plus the hawthorn’s dense, thorny foliage makes it an ideal safe nesting site for many species of bird, both common and at risk species.

Many of the Crataegus laevigata are also valuable in a wildlife setting.

hawthorn, haw berries, crataegus monogyna, fruit, native species

Edible Ornamental Gardens

What can I say? The young leaves, flower buds, flowers and berries of hawthorn are all edible for humans.

Try the young leaves chopped up in salads; or mixed with nettle tips and spinach for a tasty soup. Older leaves can be dried and made into a tisane, but the best leaf flavour is before the blossom appears.

The flower buds can be deep fried but tend to lose their delicate flavour. Tastier eaten raw, I feel. Other uses for the blossom are to make a syrup for flavouring deserts. The lazy version of this is to steep open flowers in the milk for your milk pudding – delicious!

Hawthorn brandy anyone? Briefly, the method is –

To collect May blossom, open flowers only, no stalks
Steep in brandy for 4 – 6 weeks
Then strain off the liquid and bottle it
Drink with pleasure, but not too much at once!

Depending on the brandy you use, the light almond scent of the blossom is still noticeable. Not a brandy lover? The technique works with gin too (my personal preference). Anyone fancy trying a vodka variation?

The berries or fruit are known as haws. They are rich in anti-oxidants and best eaten cooked. Although you can eat them raw, its best to avoid digesting the seed. Depending where you harvest the fruit, there may not be much flavour to them raw.

Haw berry jelly is a preserve I have made. And a collection of hedgerow fruits make a delicious jam, jelly or even mincemeat with a difference. As with the blossom, the haws can be made into a syrup.

Interesting Facts & Folklore about May Blossom

Flowering in the month of May, hawthorn’s folk name of May blossom derives from the older calendar when 1st May, or May Day, coincided with its flowering. Amazingly, it is the only British plant to be named after the month in which it flowers!

“Ne’er cast a clout till May is out”

The old saying of being wary still of frosts, refers not to the month but to the opening of the May blossom. According to folklore, May blossom wont bloom until the danger of frost is past. Its not always true in fact, but its not a bad weather guide so far as most of the British Isles is concerned.

A Chinese toffee apple! Tanghulu is traditionally made by coating haws and other small fruits with hard sugar syrup. Crataegus pinnatifida, Chinese haw, is the species used.

Hawthorn isnt just for eating! The timber of common hawthorn is a creamy-brown colour, finely grained and very hard. It is used to make cabinets, tool handle, boat parts and also in engraving.

As useful a tree as hazel (another UK native) hawthorn can be used as firewood and to make charcoal.

And finally…

Whichever hawthorn you plant in your garden, enjoy it and if Plews can help you with anything, please do get in touch. For example –

Our Garden Consultancy & Advice Visits may help with some of your issues. Or does your planting need a rethink? Do you have a birthday coming up? Plews bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden make a wonderful and practical gift. We help you with both gardening basics and more ‘expert tasks’, depending on what you need. Have a read through this pdf download for info.

For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below.

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