With its stunning crimson double blooms, the English Hawthorn (often called ‘Paul’s Scarlet’) is a real showstopper in the rose family. But if you want to take that “wow factor” to the next level, try growing it as a standalone globe tree. It’s a classic look that adds instant structure to any landscape.
Growing English Hawthorn as a Globe Tree
Globe-shaped trees—or small trees pruned into a tidy sphere—are a designer’s secret weapon for adding curb appeal to backyards and front walkways. The English Hawthorn is a fantastic candidate for this look for a few reasons:
- It’s perfect for small suburban lots.
- You can easily control the height and width.
- It handles pruning like a champ.
- It’s naturally easy to train into a rounded shape.
- It’s super hardy against frost.
- It’s tough enough to handle urban pollution and city life.
How to Shape Your Hawthorn into a Globe
In the wild, an English Hawthorn usually grows into a craggy, heavily branched large shrub or small tree. However, with a little patience and the right technique, you can train it into a sleek, sophisticated globe tree.
If you’ve just brought home a young tree from the nursery, start by pruning away the lower side branches during the first two years to establish a clean, slender trunk. You’ll also want to head back the central leader by about a third. The best time to do this is in early spring. By the third year, pick out three or four main “scaffold” branches to serve as the skeleton for your globe and trim them to your desired length. These will be your guideposts for the future shape. Prune all other branches to fill in the gaps, aiming for a nice, even curve. Because this tree branches so densely, that “ball” look will start to form almost on its own!
In the following years, just keep trimming back the new growth to maintain the size you want. Every once in a while, you might need to thin out the interior of the crown to keep it healthy. Don’t worry—the Hawthorn is very forgiving when it comes to shaping and rejuvenation. Just make sure to give it a good, deep watering after a heavy pruning session.
Pro Tips: Safety and Styling
A quick heads-up: working with Hawthorns can be a bit prickly! Those sharp thorns are no joke, so I highly recommend wearing heavy-duty leather gardening gloves with long cuffs to protect your forearms.
If your Hawthorn is a focal point in your garden, consider adding some seasonal color underneath. Low-growing early bloomers look fantastic here. Think mini daffodils (bright yellow), forget-me-nots (sky blue), grape hyacinths (white or blue), or Waldsteinia as a yellow-flowering groundcover. These bright pops of color create a gorgeous contrast against the deep crimson blossoms of the Hawthorn.
