It works just as well as a hedge plant or as a single tree: the hawthorn. It doesn't need much care and is therefore ideal for beginners. When pruning, the right time is important, especially for flower lovers.
When should a hawthorn be cut?
The right time to cut a hawthorn is shortly after flowering, around July. In this way you promote willing flower formation in the coming year and prevent the loss of valuable flower buds due to later cuts.
Cutting for the sake of the red flower
All red-flowering varieties of the hawthorn native throughout Europe are generally referred to as hawthorns. The variety 'Paul's Scarlet' of the two-handled hawthorn Crataegus laevigata is considered to be the real hawthorn. It delights from May to June with its crimson, double umbel flowers.
That's why he's so popular. And fortunately, he is anything but stingy about it. When he althy and in a sunny location, redthorns radiate their typical carmine-red flowers far into the country in early summer.
In general, the hawthorn is very easy to care for and provides the joy of flowers virtually for free. But you can still support them: by carrying out the pruning, which is generally necessary in the garden for reasons of space and shape, at the right time.
Cutting at the right time
You should cut a hawthorn once a year to prevent it from growing too bulky and sprawling. In this way you will firstly keep it in shape, secondly you will give it a regular rejuvenation treatment and thirdly you will promote willing flowering in the coming year - but only if you do not cut it too late.
The flowers for the next season appear soon after the old flowers have bloomed and are easily cut away when pruned. They sit on two-year-old wood, whose long shoots invite you to shorten them. This means that valuable flowering potential is quickly lost. So make sure that you grab the scissors (€14.00 on Amazon) as soon as possible after the flowering phase, i.e. around July.
Can it be done without cutting?
If there is enough space, you can let your hawthorn grow as it likes. As long as it gets a lot of sun, it produces a lot of flowers, but these don't produce such a compact picture due to their more sparse habit.
Since the hawthorn tolerates pruning very well, it can also be cut back radically at larger intervals. It will then sprout again next spring, but you will have to do without flowers in the first early summer.
