It is just as good as a hedge plant as it is as a solitary tree: the hawthorn. It does not need a lot of care and is therefore also ideal for beginners. When pruning, the right time is important, especially for flower lovers.
Small topiary cuts can be done in summer
Pruning for the red bloom
All red-flowering variants of the hawthorn native to the whole of Europe are generally referred to as hawthorns. The 'Paul's Scarlet' variety of the two-pronged hawthorn Crataegus laevigata is considered to be the real hawthorn. From May to June it delights with its carmine-red, double umbel flowers.
Of course, he is also so popular for this. And fortunately he is anything but stingy with it. In a healthy condition and in a sunny location, hawthorns radiate their typical crimson blossoms far into the country in early summer.
In general, the hawthorn is very easy to care for and gives the joy of flowering almost free of charge. But you can still support them: by cutting back at the right time, which is usually necessary in the garden for reasons of space and shape.
Cut at the right time
You should cut a hawthorn once a year to keep it from growing too bulky and sprawling. Firstly, you keep it in shape, secondly, you give it a regular rejuvenation cure and thirdly, you encourage willing flowering in the coming year - but only if you don't cut too late.
The flowers for the next season begin soon after the old flowers have faded and are easily cut away when pruning back into shape. They sit on the two-year-old wood, whose long shoots invite you to shorten them. As a result, valuable flowering potential is quickly lost. So make sure that you grab the scissors as soon as possible after the flowering phase, i.e. around July.
Is it possible without a cut?
If there is enough space, you can also let your hawthorn grow as it likes. As long as it gets a lot of sun, it forms many flowers, which then, however, do not give such a compact picture due to the more sparse habitus.
Since the hawthorn is very tolerant of pruning, it can also be pruned radically at longer intervals. It will then vigorously sprout again next spring, but you will have to do without flowers in the first early summer.