A garden restoration project (nothing fancy)

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

I don't think we will convince her Dusty 

But Rosa, isn't that a Pyracantha?
Not Hawthorn.

And I'm with you on holly, can't even clear up old leaves without getting spiked. I hate that with a vengeance!

I think the above was what you meant, 2p, before perfidious text took over.

There are some non-prickly hollies, and a few with soft prickles. Then there are rigger gloves, but the odd naughty-word-generating ones can blow where you least expect them. It's God's way of seeing if you are truly saintly.

Rosa_Damascena

twopenny said:

I don't think we will convince her Dusty 

But Rosa, isn't travel Pyrocantha?
Not Hawthorne.

And I'm with you on holly, can't even clear up old leaves without getting spiked. I hate that with a vengeance!

Pyrocanthus did occur to me when I posted the pic and compared to the pic you posted @Dustyevsky ! It hasn't had any flowers but that might be because I trimmed it right back in the spring. 

What has made life a lot easier for me spike-wise is investing in a pair of these:


For £5, life is now far less painful!

twopenny

How to prune a Hawthorne to look small and elegant - Monty Dons French Gardens Ep1 @ 45.8min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iX63UU7Fp8

Roof garden of a famous design house I think.

Rosa_Damascena

twopenny said:

How to prune a Hawthorne to look small and elegant - Monty Dons French Gardens Ep1 @ 45.8min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iX63UU7Fp8

Roof garden of a famous design house I think.

I will grit my teeth and watch it, for it features on of the two TV personalities I find to be utterly charmless (the other being Noel Fitzpatrick).

Katiehound

But I am almost 100% certain that you have a pyracantha there, not a hawthorn. I had one growing against a fence for many years. Evil thorns, glowing berries and creamy flowers. Both the berries & flowers looked great against the dark fence & dark foliage. You can clip it back to a fence so that it 'stays back' rather than a tree shape. I don't remember many / any seedlings 'cos the ground was very hard & dry underneath.

Working_Mum

Rosa_Damascena said:

Painted fences do look smart but every brushmark becomes evident as it fades, so I would imagine this translates into regular maintenance?

This is why I used stain on my fence Rose - it won't fade or chip & peel the way paint does (hopefully anyway!!).

Dustyevsky

Katiehound said:

But I am almost 100% certain that you have a pyracantha there, not a hawthorn.

I'm 101% certain! Good cover on fences and trellis in the winter months, and burglar deterrence comes as a free  extra.

Rosa_Damascena

The burglar deterrence is the only legitimate reason to retain it IMHO.

You are right of course, the hawthorn (which I also have) has red rather than orange berries. Both are spikey burgers though.