When should you give up on a tree
I've a hawthorn at the back of the garden, ravaged by ivy. This gave a nice woodland feel, but the ivy looks to have killed off three out of four main trunks/branches. Three of them broke completely when pulling ivy away, which left a rather unsightly specimen.
Seeing it looking so sad, I cut it back as hard as I could to the ground early last year (early in the growing season) . Hoping for some regrowth.
But no new sprouts have yet to be seen.
So my questions are:
Should I have left it to just fight for itself, is this a natural cycle of decay and regrowth?
Is there anything other than coppicing I could have done to aid it - an alternative to such a brutal hacking?
Is the tree likely to reshoot after the trauma? There was some growth very high-up on one of the branches I cut back - actually when I felled it, I was rather surprised at how healthy it looked up there, compared with the decay at the bottom.
And finally, what's the ideal age for coppicing for something like a hawthorn?
A gardener friend of mine said his general rule is: if you can coppice it: coppice.
Last edited: 04 January 2018 18:00:25
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Any chance you can take a few photos? I'm trying to work out what your size of tree/trunk and what type of damage it had. Generally, if you had it like a tree, and you chopped it down, sometimes, you'll get a disappointing re-growth that is weak. A bit like water-shoots. Do you know which Hawthorn shrub/tree?
Generally, Ivy wrapping itself around trees need controlling, even if you are trying to create a woodland feel. These trees are generally smaller and can easily be smothered which is what sounds like happened. I don't think you could have done much. If it were mine, I probably would start by trying to untangle the ivy and slowly peel it off. Very time consuming but just to see if it will come away from the trunk. But it sounds like the ivy was very dense.
I would remove it if no life by late April.
No before shots, I might be able to get an after.
Four biggish trunks, 4 inches smallest, 8 inches fattest. The one that had some life (the fattest) grew out and then up in a curve, so cutting it back hasn't left something that looks that nice. If it totally shrubbed out, or shot up elsewhere it may be interesting.
Probably a wild specimen.
It's an opportunity for something else I guess, though I don't fancy digging that out. It's on a slope to make matters worse, probably keeping the bank from collapsing.
I cut back a medium sized dogwood on a slope that had fallen over, and that seemed to re-shoot elsewhere, as they are good at running. The upshot of that is a row of some nice small specimens.
Last edited: 04 January 2018 18:31:23
An 8" trunk is large for a hawthorn so my guess is it's at or near the end of its life and probably won't regrow well or at all. Is there any sign of dark staining in the heartwood where it has been cut back to? With the other trunks breaking easily a fungal infection could be the root cause (pun intended!)
You could just cut it all down and wait for another year to see. No harm in leaving it without digging out either. Dogwoods are very versatile plants and enjoy being chopped back, it makes them rejuvenate even more. Hawthorns are usually tough plants, but sometimes, they do fail too, especially when they're under constant stress. Bark and branches need air and light to be able to keep free from fungal growth. I suspect, part of your tree may have suffered from some type of infection on the bark and over time, that has spread to other parts.
Perhaps I overestimated its size. I'll go look again.
At the time I thought it was a good idea. After, there was this largish gap where once a tree had been! Surprise surprise. The loss has thrown the small woodland out of balance a bit. Dogwoods had climbed high - thin and long to get to light, and two elders the same. So it all looks rather odd. Which makes me understand the idea of felling an area for a glade. Another buddleia was struggling, and also a smallish hawthorn. Small trees being drowned out and shaded by a rather large sycamore, that I have no control over. In time they just get swamped with ivy.
Another hawthorn that I managed to save from ivy has shown a bit of a come back, it was quite leggy and odd looking. Once the sun falls on the bark, magic appears to happen.
Last edited: 04 January 2018 18:57:51
Sounds like you have a shaded area there. If a Buddleia struggles, makes me think it's too shady. Although they can take shade, but not from the top during the summer months. Hawthorns are best planted out of overhead shade.
I don't want to totally go off piste... originally the woodland was very shaded, because of the ivy. I started planting hedging that I thought would do okay in the shade. Then I pulled the ivy, then noticed the decay, then cut down those trees. Now I have more light. Which of course presents different options. The fun and games of it all.
Just out of interest please could you name a few trees that don't mind overhead shade? I figure Hazel and english laurel are okay.
Last edited: 04 January 2018 19:22:46
Holly , Yew and Portuguese Laurel do fairly well in shade ; variegated and green forms .
Not sure what Hawthorn you had, I still think Crataegus Monogyna is one of the best ones around, tough and reliable in shade. You just need to manage the area where Ivy is creeping the floor space. Carpinus Betulus the Hornbeam is another that does will in dampy shade. For shrubs, I like Viburnum Hilleri Winton, autumn colour, semi-evergreen leaves, copes well in those conditions. For me, Hydrangeas always look natural in a woodland setting, Aspera Villosa and the Oak leaf Hydrangeas are my favourites.
Ivy is not parasitic and doesn't actually harm healthy trees except when it gets so bulky it can add wind resistance and make its host susceptible to wind damage. As ivy climbs higher it matures and flowers and is a valuable excellent host for wildlife. Where it does need controlling is as ground cover and on lower shrubs as it can swamp other plants.
It sounds to me as though your hawthorn iwas either old or diseased and at the end of its life. It may re-shoot form its base. We have a linden stump form a tree blown down in a hurricane 7 years ago and it has re-sprouted on one side despite the previous owners using the hollowed trunk as a fire pit!