Why the hawthorn is an ideal house tree candidate
Plots of land tend to get smaller and smaller and the space for decorative greenery around the house is decreasing. A mighty chestnut or a full-grown linden tree is no longer an option for very few gardens and front gardens. You still don't want to do without some homely tree flair in your private oasis? Then a small tree has to be found. If you also want an attractive flower pile, the hawthorn can be just the thing for you.
also read
- Successfully propagate hawthorn
- Raising the convertible rose to a high trunk
- Magnolia - raise as a high trunk to a tree
The hawthorn has everything on offer for allotment garden purposes:
- Moderate overall size
- Moderate growth rate
- High ornamental value
- Good cut tolerance
- Tolerant of frost and urban climates
The key data of the hawthorn
The cultivar 'Paul's Scarlet' of the two-pronged hawthorn Crataegus laevigata is regarded as a real hawthorn. It grows as a large shrub or small tree and is about 4-6 m high and 1.50 to 2.50 m wide. Its small, dark green foliage with multiple lobes and its typical gnarled, thorny appearance appear very delicate and rustic at the same time. Its flowers are filled like small roses and stand out in carmine red from the green of the leaves. They appear in pleasant abundance in May and June.
This is how you train the hawthorn to become a standard stem
Usually, if not cut, the hawthorn grows expansive and slightly bulky as a large shrub. If you want to integrate it into a small front garden or set up a romantic seat under it, you can easily convert it to High trunk raising.
The best thing to do is to get a preferred specimen from the nursery. The most important editing work must be done in the first two years. The procedure is similar to that for fruit trees.
How to cut
You take the cut every year in the end of winter or early spring before. Above all, the lower, lateral shoots are radically shortened. You cut back the central shoot by about a third every year.
Crown shaping
Crown shaping is all about your personal taste. If you want a simple ball crown, it is relatively easy for you. In that case, you can simply cut all of the crown branches back to a spherical silhouette. As a rule, it looks the most natural.
If you want to achieve a more ornate pyramid shape, you may have to work with drawstrings or wooden struts, which can be a tedious task with the thorny branches. It is ideal if you have 4 leading branches that protrude from the trunk at an angle of approximately 45 °. Then you will get a wide crown base. After about 7 to 8 years, the upbringing process is usually complete and you only need to sharpen the silhouette every year.
Important when cutting: Always wear gauntlets as protection against the sharp thorns!
