GREENWOOD
Nature and the neighbourhood
Hedgerow Hawthorn Berries
Hawthorn berries or haws (Crataegus monogyna) are so common in the local Charlton Down hedgerows that I almost forgot to mention them.
Hawthorn berries or haws (Crataegus monogyna) are so common in the local Charlton Down hedgerows that I almost forgot to mention them.
GREENWOOD 
They are lovely at the other side of our car park,aren’t they. And that purplis blue berries whose name I do not know of course. Are they easy to plant as border? And how long before they look and produce those lovely berries?
The beautiful berries on the other side of the car park are very like hawthorn but actually are a cultivated shrub – I think a type of Pyracantha. If you look closely, you can see the leaves are a different shape. I should think they are extremely easy to grow in a border but would need a bit of regular cutting back to keep the size and spread under control. The same would go for the other shrub with the purple-blue berries; that one is Mahonia and has holly-like leaves. I have one outside my flat and love it because it has lots of yellow flowers in winter (providing for insects) that develop into berries for the birds later. Both would provide flowers and fruits very quickly.