Content
Hawthorn hedges are used in the design of a site as an element of a decorative design solution. It carries a functional load; the shrub is used to protect the territory. The culture has a variety of hybrid ornamental varieties that allow you to create a low fence or hedge up to 5 m in height.
The use of hawthorn in landscape design
Hawthorn is a perennial deciduous shrub. Suitable for decorating large areas and small areas. The species differ in the structure of the shoots, the color of flowers and fruits. Decorative hawthorn is used to decorate the territory as:
- a berry plant with bright red, yellow or black fruits;
- deciduous crop, which by autumn changes the color of the crown to spectacular red and yellow shades;
- flowering shrub with large flowers: white, pink, deep red.
On the site, the crop is grown in a tree or standard form, in the form of an ornamental shrub.The design uses single or group plantings; the photo below shows an example of a hawthorn hedge.
Decorative hawthorn is used as:
- The separating element of the zones of the site.
- Hedges along the edges of the garden path to create an alley.
- Background bushes near the building wall.
- Decorative design of the edge of the park area.
- The background is on the ridges, the center of the flower bed.
- In combination with coniferous plant species.
- Creating a variety of decorative forms or strict dominant accents.
- Design solutions for decorating recreation areas.
A tall hawthorn hedge is used to camouflage sanitary areas in public places. Serves as a good screen from the wind and polluted air of big cities.
How to choose a hawthorn variety for a hedge
The culture has a large number of decorative varieties; to arrange a hawthorn hedge with your own hands, choose a shrub taking into account the functionality and characteristics of the plant:
- a tall growing species is suitable for protecting the site;
- if the goal is a design direction, choose a shrub that is easy to trim and low-growing:
- there are a number of species that prefer sandy soils or loamy, slightly alkaline soils; for others, the composition of the soil is not important;
- differ in shade tolerance and drought resistance;
- take into account the growth characteristics: tree-like, standard, shrub.
How quickly does a hawthorn hedge grow?
A perennial crop planted on a plot grows in a permanent place for several decades. The first 3 years do not require constant crown formation, annual growth is within 20 cm. After 5 years, growth is up to 40 cm. Depending on the species, it blooms for 5-8 years; grafted ornamental varieties bear fruit earlier. A hedge 2 m high can be formed 8 years after planting by cutting off the side shoots.
Hawthorn varieties for hedges
To create a hedge, species with a pyramidal crown shape are planted. As part of the composition, varieties with a drooping (weeping) crown are taken as a single element. The list of varieties of decorative hawthorn and their photos, popular among professional designers and amateur gardeners, follows.
Fisher's hawthorn
The species is deciduous decorative trees and shrubs, another name is Songarsky hawthorn, Dzhungarsky hawthorn. Grows up to 6 m in the central part of Russia, in the south - up to 8 m. Frost-resistant hawthorn (-270 C). Grows on slightly acidic, slightly alkaline, loamy or sandy soils. Has a high shoot-forming ability. The plant is shade-tolerant and does not require constant watering. Peak decorativeness during flowering and fruiting.
External characteristics:
- the main trunks are light gray, the branches are dark cherry, the thorns are 10 mm;
- leaves are wedge-shaped, 7-lobed, carved along the edge, 3 cm long, light green with a gray tint;
- inflorescences are complex, 4.5 cm in diameter, white flowers, 1.2 cm in size, pink anther;
- fruits – 1.5 cm, round, dark burgundy with white splashes, yellow flesh.
It bears fruit from the age of 7, the fruits ripen at the end of September. Used for row planting, hedges, and in groups.
Fan-shaped
A representative of ornamental trees, fan-shaped hawthorn grows along river banks and in flat areas. Found in Arkhangelsk and Oryol regions. Multi-stemmed tree 6 m high.
Description of the plant:
- branches are upright, twisting, brown with a green tint, intense thorns, spines - 10 mm, young shoots are light gray;
- leaves are wide at the base, tapering upward, up to 7 cm long, carved along the edge, dark green;
- inflorescences are complex, density - 12 flowers, white flowers, light pink anthers;
- fruits in the form of an ellipse, rich red color, yellow flesh.
Hawthorn blooms in mid-May, in the 6th year of the growing season. The fruits ripen in early October. The tree is undemanding to soil composition. Prefers open sunny areas, drought-resistant. Used for planting in a row, creating a hedge, or in a composition as a single plant.
Spot
Hawthorn Spot is a type of ornamental tree and shrub, reaching up to 10 m. The crown is dense, the first circle of branches forms low from the ground. The tree is spreading, with short central trunks, branches are located horizontally.
Appearance of decorative hawthorn:
- perennial branches are dark gray in color, young brown, sparse thorns, up to 7 cm, with a curved end;
- the leaves are large, whole, dark green, changing color to bright orange in the fall;
- flowers are white, large, with yellow or red anthers;
- The fruits are round, 12 pieces per cluster, brown or yellow in color.
Fruits in October, prefers loamy, neutral soils. Frost resistance is average. Possible freezing of young shoots.It is used for single planting, mass planting, hedges of security value, and for planting in a row.
pinnately cut
Hawthorn A pinnately cut representative of ornamental trees and shrubs, it belongs to the Far Eastern species. It grows as a spreading shrub 4.5 m high and grows slowly. It bears fruit from the age of 7 in mid-August. The culture is frost-resistant. For a full growing season, fertile, well-drained soils are required.
Leaves, flowers and fruits give the shrub a decorative appearance:
- the plant has a high shoot-forming ability, the shoots and perennial branches are dark gray, the thorns are sparse;
- drooping inflorescences, large flowers - 1.3 cm, white or cream-colored petals;
- the leaves are dark green, changing to yellow from mid-summer, and to a red tint by autumn;
- The fruits are large - up to 1.5 cm, pear-shaped, rich red in color.
The plant does not tolerate shade and drought. Used for decorating garden and park areas. It lends itself well to pruning when forming a hedge.
Almaty
An ornamental tree, less often a shrub, the Alma-Ata hawthorn, is a low-growing species, reaches a height of up to 5 m. The plant has a wide branching, the crown is formed low from the ground, pyramidal in shape.
External characteristics:
- perennial branches are dark brown, young shoots with a smooth structure, dark beige, spines are sparse, hard;
- flowers are large, 8 pieces per inflorescence, pink or cream color;
- leaves are large, dissected with teeth along the edge;
- The berries are bright red at the stage of technical ripeness, changing to black when ripe.
Historical homeland – Kyrgyzstan. The plant is light-loving and tolerates moisture deficiency well.Unpretentious to soil composition, average frost resistance. It is used in territory design as a single plant, in a group, or as a background hedge.
Pentacled
Hawthorn Pentateculum (Hawthorn Pentacolumnum) belongs to the ornamental trees and shrubs. Grows in Crimea, the Caucasus, reaches up to 8 m in height. The growth is intense. Frost resistance is average, the crop is demanding on the soil composition (slightly alkaline, sandy). Used in hybridization of ornamental varieties.
External characteristics:
- crown of regular pyramidal shape, perennial branches are brown, shoots are gray in color, thorns are small and numerous;
- leaves are dark, green on top, a shade lighter at the bottom, broadly wedge-shaped, carved;
- flowers are large with white petals and burgundy anthers;
- The fruits are large, black, with a glossy tint.
Used in massifs, in group plantings, and as a hedge.
Smooth
Hawthorn Smooth (Common, Prickly) is a variety of ornamental trees and shrubs, a deciduous plant up to 6 m in height. The crown is dense, oval in shape, growth is up to 25 cm.
Description of the plant:
- perennial branches are brown, annual branches are green with smooth bark, thorns are small, straight;
- leaves are wedge-shaped with a jagged structure along the edge, rich green, bright yellow in autumn;
- the flowers are large, 10 pieces in an inflorescence, white;
- The fruits are oval, bright red, glossy.
The culture has hybrid decorative forms with red, combined (white, pink), crimson flowers. The color of the fruit is yellow or red. Hawthorn is frost-resistant, unpretentious to soil composition, and can grow on rocky terrain.Used for arranging hedges, planting in groups or in rows.
Decorative pink
Decorative pink hawthorn is represented by several hybrids.
The most popular and available for purchase:
- Paul Scarlet – blooms with bright, crimson-colored, double flowers. Grows up to 4 m. Can grow as a shrub or standard tree. It grows slowly, the growth is insignificant. Frost-resistant, unpretentious variety in agricultural technology, used for landscape design.
- Flora Pleno - with large, double, profusely blooming flowers. The time for a plant to be decorative is the flowering period. The color of the petals ranges from soft pink to burgundy with white splashes. Flowering time is 21 days. It is used as a standard tree for single planting, also as a planting in a row. Frost resistance is average, prefers moist, fertile soils.
- Hybrid Toba – begins to bloom at the beginning of summer, the flowers are large, white, over time they acquire a pink tint, double. The plant does not bear fruit; in autumn the crown takes on a fiery orange tone.
Lyudmil
A low-growing ornamental shrub that grows up to 80 cm. It is used to create a low hedge in the foreground. Blooms profusely with pink flowers from early June. The fruits are large, edible, and bright orange in color. The variety is thornless, the shoots are smooth and dark brown. The plant tolerates shade well, is frost-resistant, prefers moderate humidity, excess water is undesirable.
Round-leaved
Hawthorn grows in the form of a branched tree, up to 6 m high, or a spreading ornamental shrub with a spherical crown.
Appearance;
- leaves are round in shape, large, hard, with a glossy surface, with teeth along the edge, dark green;
- branches are numerous, thin, gray (closer to black), strongly thorny;
- the flowers are large, white, 2 cm in diameter;
- The berries are dark burgundy and large.
The species is winter-hardy and tolerates drought well. The most common variety for growing hedges. There are hybrid varieties with double flowers of white, red or pink.
Altaic
It grows as a tree or shrub, up to 8 m high.
Description of the plant:
- the crown is dense, the branches are dark gray, the shoots are light green, becoming crimson as they grow;
- spines short, numerous;
- leaves are pinnate or dissected with carved edges;
- the flowers are large, completely white;
- berries of medium weight, bright orange.
Blooms at the end of May, bears fruit at the beginning of September. The decorative variety is light-loving, unpretentious to the composition of the soil, frost-resistant, and tolerates urban air pollution well. Used to create tall hedges.
How to plant a hawthorn hedge
Planting hedges in a temperate climate zone is carried out in the spring, after the soil has warmed up. In the southern regions - in spring and autumn. The soil is prepared in October: the area is dug up and, if necessary, the composition is neutralized with dolomite flour. Planting material is selected 3 years old with intact roots and shoots.
Landing algorithm:
- Make a recess 60 cm wide, 55 cm wide, in the form of a continuous trench.
- A layer (15 cm) of peat and turf soil, mixed in equal parts, is poured onto the bottom.
- Planting material is placed at intervals of 1.3 m and covered with soil.
- To preserve moisture, a hole is made near each hedge seedling.
- Water and mulch with peat.
The root collar is deepened by 4 cm.
Caring for a hawthorn hedge
After planting the hedge, the plant is cut off completely, leaving 15 cm of the main trunk; over the summer the crop will produce young shoots. They begin to form the crown of a hedge after 3 years; last year’s branches are shortened by half, young ones by 2/3. Damaged shoots are removed, the hedge is given the desired shape, the top is not touched. The top line is cut when the hawthorn reaches the desired height. After 5 years, pruning is carried out twice, in early June and in October, shoots protruding beyond certain boundaries are removed.
Feed the ornamental plant in the 2nd year of the growing season. In spring with organic matter, in autumn, after loosening the root circle and removing weed, apply fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. Water the hedge up to 3 times, taking into account that the top layer of soil is not dry, and do not allow waterlogging. The frequency of watering depends on summer precipitation. An adult plant tolerates moisture deficiency well with moderate watering.
Conclusion
A hawthorn hedge gives an aesthetic appearance to the facade of a building and serves as a decorative element in the design of gardens and grounds. A crop is planted in order to protect the territory from outside invasion. Trees and shrubs respond well to pruning. The plant requires standard care: watering, fertilizing, pruning.
