Is there anything I can do to help this poorly Hawthorne please?

Hi,

I inherited a lovely, mature Hawthorne, which I believe has only been trimmed but not pruned as a lot of the branches cross etc. (the last owner was a Lady in her 90's).

This is my 2nd year with it and I noticed that it didn't produce so many flowers as last year, but still looked beautiful and the foliage wasn't as thick. Now it has lost virtually all its leaves, the ones that are left are covered in spots to I assume it is Leaf Spot and most of the branches are covered in thick lichen.

It is visited regularly by a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, good for me to watch, not so good for the tree (photos of damage below)?

Also, my fault, I have let a St. John's Wort grow very big underneath it, and it is near an also mature apple tree, so wondering if it is struggle for water/nutrients?

I really don't want to lose it, as it provides cover for the small birds feeding on the bird table and feeders and it is lovely.



Do you think this is a terminal situation or perhaps due to the difficult weather conditions we have had this year AND is there anything I can do to help it please? (Ross-on-Wye, south Herefordshire).

Many thanks in advance

 

Hawthorns are part of the rose family so think of how you might look after a rose in the garden.

1. Give it clear air and ground to grow in.
2. Keep it watered.


The spots look similar to black spot on roses. I think that’s just stress caused by it being too dry.

The lichen is nothing to worry about. They grow on plants, using them as a place to live rather than a thing to live off. It’s just a sign that the air in your area isn’t polluted.

The scratches on the bark are a bit odd. Are you sure that they are solely caused by the woodpeckers or do you have a cat?

In the wild, hawthorns don’t get pruned and quite happily grow into a jumbled mass. If you feel like pruning it, get it into a happier frame of mind first.

Good luck.

 

Many thanks @Tidemark that is very useful. It is also next to a large, mature hybrid-t which has black spot, so as you say, probably came from there.

Yes, you might be right, I caught one of the local cats up inside the tree the other day after one of the sparrows and had to chase him off, so he might he having a scratch as well

Good point about them growing in the wild and not being pruned, I don't want to damage it any more, so will leave it alone, clear the area around it of other plants and give it a good water regularly and perhaps a feed perhaps?

Thank you for the information about the lichen. There is so much of it, I thought perhaps it might be putting a strain on it, but again...I will leave alone and try not to over think it

Thanks again Tidemark, I will pay much more attention to it now and see how it goes over the next year

 

I have woodpeckers who excavate holes, but in general my affected trees seem to manage to work round this, so I don't think that would be the cause of your leaf woes. If the leaves are wet a lot (due to the rain), but the roots are dry (due to other vegetation covering the roots), you can get leaf diseases. The advantage of it being deciduous is every yr provides a new chance for healthy leaves. I would collect as many of possible of this yr's as they fall, rather than letting them lie on the ground all winter, just to avoid any possibility of black spot spreading.

 

Great, thank you @ViewAhead that is very useful. That is interesting about your tree coping with the woodpecker damage, I don't want to discourage them, as they are beautiful and so interesting to watch, but I will just keep an eye on the bark and also for Chilly, the young, local cat who has taken a liking to my garden and it's visitors

It does rain here a lot, but a lot of it has been heavy drizzle, as well the as the odd heavy storm. So, it is likely that the leaves have repeatedly got wet, but the plants around it's roots are taking up the water before it gets down to where it's roots are I will give it a good soak every week or so until the Autumn, as I think there isn't much rain forecast for the next week at least.

Also great idea about getting the leaves up, will definitely do that, and the rose leaves as well. Hopefully by next year it will feel a bit happier and the weather will be a bit more normal, whatever that is now

Thank you ViewAhead, don't feel so worried about it

 

That does look like it could be a nice tree when it recovers @Barders. I would clear a good circle of earth around the base of the tree and incorporate some organic matter to improve the soil, keeping the tree well watered until the end of the growing season. It’s better to water deeply every three days or so rather than more regular light watering. Any pruning to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches is best done in winter when the tree is dormant. Good luck with it!

 

Many thanks @Plantminded, that is reassuring. I will get the area around it cleared tomorrow and give it a good soak, then get some OM down.

The Lady I bought the house from had been here 35 years and clearly loved the garden and I would hate for it to met it’s demise on my watch, so it will get some TLC from now on