I absolutely love to pick sloe berries and make all sorts of things with them! Sloe liquor, sloe mead, sloe jam, even made sloe ice cream once! Every autumn, I come home, bleeding but blissful with a bucket full of wonderful berries. But of course, I always leave some for the birdies too.
You've made me very hungry now! Great to read this and know there are more things than just liquor we can do with this - and of course save some for the birds :) I hope you have had a great weekend and that warm weather continues, perfect for sloe ice cream again :) Best wishes, Joel
One of my favourite plants :) Sure the sloes have done well this year. There were a lot on the Blackthorn hedge I saw recently and on this shrub in the video. Was wondering if it is due to a bit of rain over the summer. I planted one bare root last year and am really hoping it blossoms for the first time in spring... Thanks for the video.
That’s great to hear. Rain at the right time will certainly help with the fruit production. Seems to be a good year. Helps if the flowers survive any frost also early on.
A great guide. I’d like to plant this as a screen beside the road but it seems to have lots of little gaps in the leaves. Can it be trained to be more leafy? Hornbeam is my other choice. Its colours are beautiful and it does seem to be more dense and filled in. Any advice?
I think it would be fine; you won't notice the gaps as they will disappear in the depths and 'noise' of the branches. If you want a dense native evergreen, then yew makes a really great hedge. I would always consider what would be growing wild locally in your region, so you can also be supportive of your local ecology & natural heritage as well. Hornbeam is not native to most of the UK, only the SE corner (Kent, bit of London), so I woudn't use it unless you live around there. Blackthorn and yew grow over all the UK.
At last my RUclips is working ! The Blackthorn is a really good hedgerow plant for wildlife, it provides shelter, food for birds, (and if you are lucky the Black Veined White), I found the small hedgerow I planted with this species even gave a nesting place for Harvest Mice, they can be a bit of a problem in a small garden if not kept under control, but the lovely coloured berries are a real treat to the birds, and they do give us a few Ltrs of Sloe Gin every year, stay safe! Chris B.
Great to know Chris. Glad your comments are working again - I always welcome your input 👍 I’d forgotten about black veined whites using them. I thought they used Hawthorn. Sad that they died out in the UK
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I have always thought the Black Veined Whites would lay on the large, overhanging type of Blackthorn bushes, but after hours of searching without finding any egg batches, I just stood and watched the egg laying females, without exception they went for the very small 2 ft high single stem plants, most of them growing away from the hedgerow, on investigation I found that almost all such "twigs" were covered in egg batches. Chris B.
How intriguing Chris. I found the same thing with Orange tips. They chose the single stemmed “stand alone” individuals rather than those in big clumps. I think with this species though, it is more that they are cannibalistic!
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton. Yes they occur right up into Sweden, but oddly there are none in our immediate area, although everything seems perfect for them, they tend to like scrub areas with isolated small sprigs of Blackthorn in long grass, exactly what we have here, but I have never seen them around us?
I can grow Hawthorne from seed but not Blackthorne. Could you do a step by step guide from picking the fruit, to freezing if required, to potting, to planting to sunlight etc
Hi there Jason, I haven't grown this from seed myself and we'd obviously have to wait for late summer to start with the fruit. However, I just found this advice that might be helpful to you in the meantime: treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow/tree-recipes/blackthorn Hope this helps, do let me know how you get on - best wishes, Joel
Hi there - Blackthorn is an easy shrub to both propagate and air layer. When propagating it's best to take cuttings from a woody branch of about 20 cm/8 inches and remove the leaves and thorns. Then into potting soil where it will take root and can be planted out next spring. Air-laying is the same as other shrubs, bend a suitable branch down into the soil and after a few weeks it will have grown it's "own" roots, can be cut and planted elsewhere. I hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
Hi there... you *can*, but I'd not recommend it! They're very bitter but aside from their fame of being made into gin, you can use them for jams, chutney, jellies etc. Hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
Hello. I have planted many blackthorns couple years ago. I had thought that it could also grow as a tree (like Prunus padus) and I have seen photos of blackthorntrees, but are they always managed in someway so they never grow as trees naturally? If it spreads in all situations, are there ways to restrain its growth without managing it regularly (does for example the depth where you plant it have effect?). Also, in your experience, how many square meters one plant usually overtakes?
Hi. It could grow as a small tree if you pruned the main stem to encourage vertical growth from the terminal buds. Otherwise, it has more potential possibly for habitat as a managed shrub. You can really control the suckers unless you plant it in the ground in a pot, and even then, I think it would grown through the pot. It would possibly cover an area 3m x 3m if left. Hope that helps 😊👍
I'm wondering about this too. I've got used to seeing it as a dense bush, not normally a small tree. But yes, there are some places where it grows as a small tree and I think this is natural, not due to pruning. This could be dependent on the level of shade (I think it will grow taller under or near the shade of other trees - I can think of one such example near me). But maybe it also depends on the soil, growing taller on well drained calcareous soils, and lower and denser on heavier 'soils ?
Hi mate I think this will be my next one. I have a gap between a smoke bush and viburnum davidii. Will it suit this spot do you think? I’m more concerned about the Smoke Bush.
Hello there :) As per the video, it will spread by suckers, so may encroach upon the smoke bush. If you're looking for a shrub to provide good nesting and food potential, I would perhaps consider hawthorn in this spot as it won't encroach or spread like blackthorn and can be easily pruned/managed to suit most sized gardens - it can be left as a tree or pruned as a hedge etc - I hope this helps, do let me know if you have any further questions - happy to help - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton cheers Joel yes i bought a Hawthorn the other day. Was looking at something else maybe. And yes for nesting and food potential
@@MrC-ov1ht No worries :) If you have the time, then this Blackthorn would work - they don't mind hard pruning and of course suckers can be pulled up - but that's not to everyone's taste - if this doesn't suit then have you thought about a Pyracantha at all, definitely a good one for nesting and food :)
Brilliant - had never heard the name before, after a little research I have learned something today - thank you for that :) Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
This video is from the early days when I wanted people to know what the channel was about and what it would contain, everything is connected re wildlife and how to help in your own garden :) I'm glad you enjoyed most of it, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I understand, beginners mistakes 😁 thanks for creating the content, I have some of these in my garden and can't wait until they get bigger and develop black bark!
Also good for making Shillelaghs.
Thanks Randy! I learned something today because of you, I actually didn't know that. Appreciated :) Best wishes, Joel
Oh yes, have not thought of Blackthorn yet and will plant some. Despite from alcohol you can do a very delicious jelly from the berries.
Good tip! Thank you :)
I absolutely love to pick sloe berries and make all sorts of things with them! Sloe liquor, sloe mead, sloe jam, even made sloe ice cream once! Every autumn, I come home, bleeding but blissful with a bucket full of wonderful berries. But of course, I always leave some for the birdies too.
You've made me very hungry now! Great to read this and know there are more things than just liquor we can do with this - and of course save some for the birds :) I hope you have had a great weekend and that warm weather continues, perfect for sloe ice cream again :) Best wishes, Joel
When I had my allotment plot the hedgerow next to me was full of this. Plenty of birds to watch when I was catching five minutes break 😊
They're fantastic, aren't they - and provide so much habitat and food for birds, as you witnessed :) Best wishes - Joel
What a gorgeous shrub! It's a native to Portugal also. :)
All the more reason to get one :) I am so glad you are enjoying the channel Daniela - your support means so much :) Best wishes, Joel
Nice video, Like n,13 and Greetings from Italy :)
Thanks Peri, so much - your constant support means a lot, not just to me but to the wildlife too :)
One of my favourite plants :) Sure the sloes have done well this year. There were a lot on the Blackthorn hedge I saw recently and on this shrub in the video. Was wondering if it is due to a bit of rain over the summer. I planted one bare root last year and am really hoping it blossoms for the first time in spring... Thanks for the video.
That’s great to hear. Rain at the right time will certainly help with the fruit production. Seems to be a good year. Helps if the flowers survive any frost also early on.
A great guide. I’d like to plant this as a screen beside the road but it seems to have lots of little gaps in the leaves. Can it be trained to be more leafy? Hornbeam is my other choice. Its colours are beautiful and it does seem to be more dense and filled in. Any advice?
I think it would be fine; you won't notice the gaps as they will disappear in the depths and 'noise' of the branches. If you want a dense native evergreen, then yew makes a really great hedge. I would always consider what would be growing wild locally in your region, so you can also be supportive of your local ecology & natural heritage as well. Hornbeam is not native to most of the UK, only the SE corner (Kent, bit of London), so I woudn't use it unless you live around there. Blackthorn and yew grow over all the UK.
Very nice 👍 thanks
Thank you Leslie, appreciated :) Best wishes, Joel
At last my RUclips is working ! The Blackthorn is a really good hedgerow plant for wildlife, it provides shelter, food for birds, (and if you are lucky the Black Veined White), I found the small hedgerow I planted with this species even gave a nesting place for Harvest Mice, they can be a bit of a problem in a small garden if not kept under control, but the lovely coloured berries are a real treat to the birds, and they do give us a few Ltrs of Sloe Gin every year, stay safe! Chris B.
Great to know Chris. Glad your comments are working again - I always welcome your input 👍 I’d forgotten about black veined whites using them. I thought they used Hawthorn. Sad that they died out in the UK
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I have always thought the Black Veined Whites would lay on the large, overhanging type of Blackthorn bushes, but after hours of searching without finding any egg batches, I just stood and watched the egg laying females, without exception they went for the very small 2 ft high single stem plants, most of them growing away from the hedgerow, on investigation I found that almost all such "twigs" were covered in egg batches. Chris B.
How intriguing Chris. I found the same thing with Orange tips. They chose the single stemmed “stand alone” individuals rather than those in big clumps. I think with this species though, it is more that they are cannibalistic!
Interesting to hear Chris. I’d love to see BVW one day. Are they in northern France?
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton. Yes they occur right up into Sweden, but oddly there are none in our immediate area, although everything seems perfect for them, they tend to like scrub areas with isolated small sprigs of Blackthorn in long grass, exactly what we have here, but I have never seen them around us?
I can grow Hawthorne from seed but not Blackthorne. Could you do a step by step guide from picking the fruit, to freezing if required, to potting, to planting to sunlight etc
Hi there Jason, I haven't grown this from seed myself and we'd obviously have to wait for late summer to start with the fruit. However, I just found this advice that might be helpful to you in the meantime:
treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow/tree-recipes/blackthorn
Hope this helps, do let me know how you get on - best wishes, Joel
Can u propagate Blackthorn by cuttings or air layering?
Hi there - Blackthorn is an easy shrub to both propagate and air layer. When propagating it's best to take cuttings from a woody branch of about 20 cm/8 inches and remove the leaves and thorns. Then into potting soil where it will take root and can be planted out next spring. Air-laying is the same as other shrubs, bend a suitable branch down into the soil and after a few weeks it will have grown it's "own" roots, can be cut and planted elsewhere. I hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
Can you eat the berry alone?
Hi there... you *can*, but I'd not recommend it! They're very bitter but aside from their fame of being made into gin, you can use them for jams, chutney, jellies etc. Hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
Hello. I have planted many blackthorns couple years ago. I had thought that it could also grow as a tree (like Prunus padus) and I have seen photos of blackthorntrees, but are they always managed in someway so they never grow as trees naturally? If it spreads in all situations, are there ways to restrain its growth without managing it regularly (does for example the depth where you plant it have effect?). Also, in your experience, how many square meters one plant usually overtakes?
Hi. It could grow as a small tree if you pruned the main stem to encourage vertical growth from the terminal buds. Otherwise, it has more potential possibly for habitat as a managed shrub. You can really control the suckers unless you plant it in the ground in a pot, and even then, I think it would grown through the pot. It would possibly cover an area 3m x 3m if left. Hope that helps 😊👍
I'm wondering about this too. I've got used to seeing it as a dense bush, not normally a small tree. But yes, there are some places where it grows as a small tree and I think this is natural, not due to pruning. This could be dependent on the level of shade (I think it will grow taller under or near the shade of other trees - I can think of one such example near me). But maybe it also depends on the soil, growing taller on well drained calcareous soils, and lower and denser on heavier 'soils ?
Hi mate I think this will be my next one. I have a gap between a smoke bush and viburnum davidii. Will it suit this spot do you think? I’m more concerned about the Smoke Bush.
Hello there :) As per the video, it will spread by suckers, so may encroach upon the smoke bush. If you're looking for a shrub to provide good nesting and food potential, I would perhaps consider hawthorn in this spot as it won't encroach or spread like blackthorn and can be easily pruned/managed to suit most sized gardens - it can be left as a tree or pruned as a hedge etc - I hope this helps, do let me know if you have any further questions - happy to help - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton cheers Joel yes i bought a Hawthorn the other day. Was looking at something else maybe. And yes for nesting and food potential
@@MrC-ov1ht No worries :) If you have the time, then this Blackthorn would work - they don't mind hard pruning and of course suckers can be pulled up - but that's not to everyone's taste - if this doesn't suit then have you thought about a Pyracantha at all, definitely a good one for nesting and food :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton pyracantha was definitely on my list .... think I may go with that for this spot. Cheers mate
@@MrC-ov1ht Happy to help, as always :) take good care
1st comment,nice advice joel and i really want to eat your berries.😀😀😁😊😊😜😜🍇
Thank you! 😁 they are quite bitter!
😭😭😭😓😓🤣🤣
Shillelaghs are made from these
Brilliant - had never heard the name before, after a little research I have learned something today - thank you for that :) Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton your welcome! The more you know! 😁
@@mr.bullionnaire9748 Absolutely! Welcome to the channel and the great community we have here, and thanks again for your shared knowledge :)
Nice vid but the intro is tooooooo looooooong
This video is from the early days when I wanted people to know what the channel was about and what it would contain, everything is connected re wildlife and how to help in your own garden :) I'm glad you enjoyed most of it, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I understand, beginners mistakes 😁 thanks for creating the content, I have some of these in my garden and can't wait until they get bigger and develop black bark!