contrasting hawthorn species

Hello All,

I am hoping to establish a continuous perimeter of hawthorn trees around a series of paddocks as a living hedge element and am curious what others' experience with different species thereof might be.  I have read that English or common hawthorn may be too invasive to introduce freely over large spaces and that Washington hawthorn is a less competitive alternative that still bears thorns and fruit.

When searching the Permaculture Plant Database, I see there are 22 species listed and while I learn more about the subject, I thought I'd check here to see what your experiences might reveal about which ones seem better suited for living hedges.  I am in zone 5a in central New York State and will be planting them on a gentle southeastern slope with (as yet) little shade and ample ground water.

Thank you!
Brian

I don't know much about hawthorn trees.

My suggestion would be to see what varieties are offered at the New York State Nursery.

state nurseries are usually a good place to save some money on buying trees and they will usually sell the varieties that do best in their state.

The Washington Hawthorn is vigorous in the Kentucky mountains USDA zone 6b, but the fruit is pretty small.

If you are planning to use the fruit, that is an important consideration when choosing a species and variety as there is a lot of variation in fruit sizes. For example, there are a couple of 'mayhaw' hawthorn species which have relatively large fruit but are not as cold hardy as the English hawthorn or Washington hawthorn that you are considering.

I've been growing out a few species you didn't mention from seed, but my trees are just a year old so I don't have much more to say about their suitability.