If you do not qualify for trade rates, immediate payment by credit or debit card via Sage Pay is required, or you may request contact from the office to make payment over the phone.
For customers who have been accepted for trade rates, we offer several ordering and payment options, including:
Immediate payment by credit or debit card via Sage Pay, our payment service provider.
Order on account (available to credit account customers only).
Request contact from the office & make payment over the phone.
Place order to reserve stock & request a call back to discuss timings, with payment only required upon despatch.
Note: Plant specifications and prices below relate to last season and will be updated ahead of the 2022-2023 season once availability has been determined.
Plants will be available to pre-order for the 2022-2023 planting season. Sign up to receive notification when pre-ordering goes live.
Minimum Order Value
Please note that there is a minimum order value of £50.00 + VAT, excluding delivery.
Delivery
Delivery to UK mainland is included for stock orders over £1500.00 + VAT (subject to postcode zones & surcharges). For full details on delivery please view our delivery page.
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
Below are the approximate stages of growth, assuming sited in suitable conditions for this species;
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 and 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.
The main reasons for buying protection is to protect the plants against:
Pests
Spraying
Strimming
Pests
When it comes to deciding what protection to choose the golden rule is to choose the product dependent on which pest you are protecting against. The below will help you in deciding what height of protection you will need.
Vole, Mice 20cm
Rabbit 60cm
Hare 75cm
Roe Deer, Muntjac 1.20m
Fallow Deer 1.50m
Pest & Minimum Protection Height
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Roe Deer/Muntjac 1.20m
Tubex Tree Shelter* 1.20m x 73-105mm, 1.20m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Combitube* 1.20m x 73-105mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube* 1.20m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Treeguard Mesh Tube* 1.20m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Galvanised Mesh Tree Guard* 1.20m x 300mm *Not recommended for this species
Machine Rounded Tree Stake 1.20m x 50mm, 1.50m x 50mm
Pest & Minimum Protection Height
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Fallow Deer 1.50m
Tubex Tree Shelter* 1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Combitube* 1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube* 1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Treeguard Mesh Tube* 1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Galvanised Mesh Tree Guard* 1.80m x 300mm, 1.80m x 600mm *Not recommended for this species
Machine Rounded Tree Stake 1.80m x 60mm
Spraying
Tubex tree shelters offer the benefit of not only protecting against animal damage, they also ensure that herbicides do not come into contact with the plants during spraying.
The main reason for spraying is weed control, however, there are other options available to suppress weeds, such as weed control matting.
Strimming
Young plants should be protected from damage caused when strimming. To protect plants solely for strimming, our strimmer guards are the ideal product.