Blackthorn / Whitethorn hedge

Jarlath Duffy asked 13 years ago

I planted bareroot Blackthorn / whitethorn hedge in January 2010 and some of the plants have developed well and are over 3ft high while others are developing at a slower pace. However, in order to develop the thickness of the hedge and promote growth near the base of the plant should I cut the hedge back at this stage or should i let it develop to the required height (maybe 6ft) first.

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Whitethorn makes a good hedge, but blackthorn is a suckering shrub and a nuisance as a garden hedge. It is only controlled by grazing animals and then not always.

It would be best to remove all blackthourn and fill gaps with whitethorn, crataegus.

If the base of a hedge is gappy cutting the top will not furnish it, at least not quickly, it is preferable to plant more plants, which are cheap as small ones, at the base to fill out the hedge… and control grass which is the main reason for a leggy base.

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