Prunus spinosa (Blackthorn)
| Price £ each (ex. VAT) | ||||
| Height | Age | 25+ | 100+ | 500+ |
| 40-60cm | 1+0 | 0.39 | 0.22 | 0.19 |
| 40-60cm | 1+1 | 0.63 | 0.36 | 0.31 |
| 60-80cm | 1+0 | 0.49 | 0.28 | 0.23 |
| 60-80cm | 1+1 | 0.75 | 0.44 | 0.39 |
| 80-100cm | 1+1 | 0.96 | 0.55 | 0.50 |
Delivery
Bareroot from November to April
Prices
The prices above are offered as a guide and may be subject to fluctuation dependant upon the time of season and supply. We recommend that contact is made with the office for larger orders, a quotation and to check availability Alternatively please contact us to enquire about opening a wholesale account.
More familiar to many as the Sloe, from its large fruits ripening in late autumn, Blackthorn is an important native deciduous shrub often seen growing wild in the countryside. A densely spiny suckering shrub, it makes one of the best stock-proof hedges and forms an essential part of wildlife hedges. Its snowy white blossom appears in very early spring before the leaves and is followed in late autumn by the purplish-black fruits.
Site and soil
Very tough and tolerant of most soils and situations, including wet, exposed sites.
Height and spread
After 10 years: 5m x 1.5m
After 20 years: 5m x 1.5m
Leaf and bark
Oval leaves appear after the blossom in late March. The bark is very smooth a black.
Flower, seed and fruit
The small white 5-petalled flowers appear in great profusion in early March, smothering the whole plant. They are followed by small, hard plum-like fruits, which ripen to purplish-black in late autumn. The flesh is green and very bitter, and surrounds the seed.
Uses
Stock and people-proof hedges, mixed wildlife hedges, woodland, cover for game birds. Blackthorn’s suckering habit ensures that there are never gaps at the base of the hedge. The fruits are used to make sloe gin, and the branches to make walking-sticks, or shillelaghs.
Wildlife
The pollen is a good food source for early insects, and the larvae of a variety of moths and butterflies, including the Emperor Moth, feed on the leaves. The fruits are eaten by birds over winter.
Pruning
Blackthorn hedges should be pruned in June-July.
