When to plant and prune Hawthorn
Hawthorn flowers from early May to late May and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Hawthorn is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| South Coast and Channel | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| South East and Home Counties | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| East Anglia | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Wales and West Coast | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Northern England | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Northern Ireland | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to late December | early May to late May | early January to late February |
Growing notes
The most wildlife-valuable small tree in this list: May blossom feeds a huge range of insects and the haws persist into winter for birds. Thorny, so site it away from paths where children play, and note that as a tree it makes 5-10m rather than the 2m of a clipped hedge.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 500 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 700 cm
- Eventual spread
- 600 cm
- Hardiness
- H7
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- No
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
Feeding
A general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore in February gives newly planted trees and hedges a boost; stop once established.
Pruning: what to avoid
Do not prune or trim hawthorn between March and August without checking for nests first: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, and hawthorn is one of the most heavily used nesting plants in Britain.
Pruning group
Prune trees in mid-winter (January or February) while fully dormant
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early October to late February. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
What usually goes wrong
- fungal leaf spots
- powdery mildew in dry conditions
- fireblight
- hawthorn leaf margin mite
- rabbit and deer damage to young trees
- honey fungus
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for hawthorn.