Prunus spinosa seed

LATIN NAME: PRUNUS SPINOSA

COMMON NAME: Blackthorn

The blackthorn snows the bare, thorny branches with the small, white flowers in the early spring, long before the leaves, the dark sloe fruits following through the autumn, and the whole bush carrying the dense, spiny look of the old hedgerows. The flowers open in the frosty weeks, the leaves come small and finely toothed, and the sloes ripen to the deep blue-black with the bloom. The bush grows into the impenetrable thicket, the birds nest safe in the spines, and the fruits feed them through the winter. It likes the sun, the ordinary soil, and the open, exposed ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the hedgerow ecology, the blackthorn is a species the researchers keep coming back to. The studies cover the early flower timing, the development of the sloes and the roles of the dense thickets in the farmland landscape, where the birds nest and the small mammals shelter. The horticulturists note the early nectar that feeds the bees in the frosty weeks, and the plum breeders have used the blackthorn in their crosses for the hardy stock.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

For the countryside, the blackthorn is one of the most useful of the native bushes. The spiny thickets give the safe nesting cover, the early flowers feed the bees when little else is out, and the sloes have been gathered for the jams, the syrups and the country liqueurs for the ages. The hard, fine-grained wood serves the walking sticks and the small turnery, and the bush holds the banks and the field edges. It feeds the birds and the people alike.

The blackthorn seeds need the cold spell before the sowing, so give them the winter outside or the month in the refrigerator first. Sow them into the deep tray of sandy, loamy soil, cover them well, and keep the tray in the bright, cool spot. The seedlings rise in the spring, and they grow on fast with the thorny shoots. Plant them out into the open, sunny ground, and the early white flowers come within the few years. The thicket spreads by the suckers once it settles.

To grow the blackthorn from seed, sow the small, stony seeds thinly into the deep tray of sandy, loamy soil, then cover them well, keep the tray in the bright, cool spot and water gently. The seedlings push through within a few weeks, and they grow on steadily. Set the young bushes into the open, sunny ground, and the thorny thicket will snow the branches each spring.