Hawthorn Blossom

One of the ways I know that spring is well and truly with us is the arrival of the hawthorn blossom.  There’s something so pretty of seeing fields divided up by hedgerows of flowering hawthorn.  You certainly think that spring has definitely arrived.  Hawthorn is such a common tree especially in hedgerows in this country.  You’ll see it all over the place if you get out into the countryside during the spring, but it’s often used in hedges in towns too.

It is a robust, practical little tree, growing up to 15m tall even in harsh conditions. It’s dense and spiky qualities make it a useful hedgerow plant as well as providing food and shelter for wildlife. Hawthorn trees can live up to an astonishing 400 years old and are steeped in mythology.

Hawthorn is often known as the ‘May’ and it’s used to flower in May, but these days it’s often mid April or the end of April.  In Scotland you might hear the saying ‘Cast ne’er a cloot til May be oot’. This phrase is a warning not to discard your winter clothes until the hawthorn is in flower, as cold snaps can catch you out until May at the earliest. Once hawthorn blossom arrives, the white and pink flowers coat scrublands, hedgerows and woodland edges, heralding warmer, sunnier days from here on out.

The pagan symbol of fertility, hawthorn is the ancestor of the Maypole and the source of May Day garlands. The flowers make up the crown of the fairy queen and the wreath of the Green Man.  Although beautiful, it is said you should never bring this blossom into your home – partly because it is seen as unlucky, and partly because the smell of the flowers is so bad, it reminded people in medieval times of the Great Plague!