Berries galore...

If it's true that the number of berries on trees and shrubs in autumn relate directly to the severity of the oncoming winter, then we had better air the thermals now.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Sep 2010, 19:43 BST
Updated 3rd Sep 2010, 14:40 BST

Flocks of starlings and redwings have started stripping many a rowan of its fruit, but there are plenty more sources of food available – look no further than the common hawthorn.

By early September, its branches were dripping with fruit; a compliment to all the flowers it produced in May.

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Of course, hawthorn, or quickthorn – or Maythorn – is still so common that few gardeners can be bothered with it. It's too easy to grow; it can tolerate sites and situations where few other trees and shrubs will survive.

Years ago, it was the ideal way to prevent stock from roaming; every field seemed to be armoured by a ring of spiky hawthorn hedges which flowered in spring, fruited in autumn and kept their growth tight and compact enough to maintain order on the farm.

Modern agriculture has no time for hedges which need tending to keep them in shape and stock-proof, so hawthorn has become something of an anachronism.

Which is why more gardeners should grow it. True, it can be unfriendly with its long, sharp spines and close growth, but that in itself can be a bonus – it keeps out unwelcome visitors.

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And it's easy to grow, easy to tend and thoroughly dependable.

The variety you see growing wild is likely to be C monogyna. But there's always 'Pendula Rosea', with pink blossoms on drooping branches. It's a bit more lax than the everyday hawthorn, but it is still pretty effective at forming a barrier between garden and beast.

Cultivated varieties include C oxyacantha 'Paul's Scarlet' and 'Plena' which are red and white respectively. There are fewer thorns to scar the gardener and growth is not as rapid as wild forms.

A more unusual form is C orientalis with berries veering towards yellow, while for the most vicious but one of the most strikingly beautiful, there's C prunifolia with its barbs, berries which last well into winter, and beautiful autumn colours.

Hawthorns are extremely tolerant of poor conditions. They can withstand drought and deluge, poor soil and rich soil, exposed sites and atmospheric pollution.

YP MAG 4/9/10