Hawthorn, that unassuming countryside star, has a fascinating story and needs your help to survive says Liam Creedon

It is at this time of the year one of the most unassuming stars of the British countryside briefly emerges from the shadows to cast a white and wonderful spell.

Typically, hawthorn plays the part of the countryside’s unobtrusive backing singer, giving way to the gaudy attention-grabbing bluebells, daffodils and ox-eye daisies that form the essential and unavoidably showy ingredients of springtime.

But at some indefinable point, when the days get longer and the weather heats up, the hawthorn starts to bloom.

Overnight, it appears as though an impossibly late snow has fallen. Hedgerows are awash with florid, pinkish white blooms as the hawthorn — or May Tree as it has long been known — puts on its show-stopping display. This year’s mild winter saw May buds burst forth with abandon with the white wall of blooms creeping across the countryside.

Today, hawthorn is viewed by many as little more than an instantly forgettable scrub, but the May Tree has historically enjoyed a reputation as one of our most revered and mysterious native species.

It was believed monumental bad luck would befall anyone foolish enough to bring hawthorn sprigs inside the home — superstition held it could augur the death of a relative.

The plant’s dubious reputation may stem from its scent; the suffocating, bitter-sweet aroma overpowers everything in its path and has been likened to the smell of putrid flesh.

Once first noticed, hawthorn seems to be everywhere. The Enclosure Act of 1845 is responsible for this ubiquity, since when it is planted in rows, the tree grows into an impenetrable field boundary — just the thing needed to enclose open and rambling land. In fact, more than 200,000 miles of May Tree were planted as a result of the act.

But this huge hawthorn network has proved a vital boost to wildlife. Hawthorn provides a key habitat for many insects, birds and mammals.

Woodland Trust citizen science manager Kate Lewthwaite said: “Hawthorn is a fantastic species that supports a wide variety of insects, birds and animals. Its dense, thorny foliage is perfect for nesting birds, and the flowers are a brilliant source of food for mammals such as dormice. Bees and pollinating insects appreciate pollen and nectar from the flowers.”

Oxford Mail:
Thorny issue: Hawthorn makes an ideal boundary hedge

The charity Plantlife is encouraging wildlife-loving gardeners to go native and plant British species like hawthorn in their gardens.

Despite being a species associated with the open countryside, hawthorn’s thorns make it an ideal boundary hedge. Trained as a hedge it will reach 1.5m to 3m. Grown as a formal hedge, it must be pruned twice a year. Grown as an informal hedge, the only pruning needed is the removal of the most vigorous shoots in winter.

By going native, gardeners can bring wild colour into their gardens and a home for wildlife while helping some of our most threatened native species.

Plantlife’s botanical specialist Dr Trevor Dines said: “Many favourites, such as box, pasqueflower and Welsh poppy, are also some of our rarest native plants. It always amazes me you can pop into almost any garden centre, DIY shop or nursery and buy a plant of shrubby cinquefoil, but this same species is a beautiful native wildflower restricted to just two small areas in Britain.

“Plantlife’s Wildflower Garden celebrates the native flowers we probably already grow, introduce a few new ones and discover the fascinating stories behind them. Did you know for example that, according to legend, pasqueflower grows from the blood of buried Viking warriors?

“You don’t need to let your garden become overgrown and tatty to enjoy them; wild plants and flowers can be woven into the tapestry of all garden styles, from cottage to formal.”

Wild native flowers are being lost at a rate of up to almost one species per year per county. Today only two per cent of the flower meadows here in the 1930s remain. When wild flowers disappear, so does the wildlife relying on them. Gardeners can help.

For more information about going native in your garden visit the website plantlife.org.uk