Spikey hedge! Need ID

Hi all,

I've got a spikey hedge which runs all the way down the side of the garden. It's probably a well known plant but I have no idea what it is. Can someone ID it please?



Also, I want to cut it down a few feet because it's pretty out of control at the moment. Is it a plant that will send out new shoots and "fill out" again? I don't want to cut it down and it just look like a bald mess!

 

Hi Rad, it looks like a Hawthorn ( Crataegus ) ( May tree ) to me. Not sure how you prune them.

 

It's Hawthorn, very common an an excellent hedge, flowering in spring and produces berries in autumn if left untrimmed. You can cut it back as hard as you like and it will sprout strongly again in spring

 

Oh for heavens sake! Of course it is!!

I had Firethorn stuck in my head. Ok so it's a Hawthorn and it can be chopped right back... brilliant!

Thanks @Anthony Rogers and @Redwing !!

Bonus question: Is there an easy way to cut it without getting spikey twigs in the soil? I'm still finding them 1 month later

 

Have you got an old blanket or something like that you can lay on the ground under the hedge, and then as you're cutting all the bits fall onto it. Then all you do is collect it up and you've then got all the bits in one place to dispose of as you like.

 

No I haven't, but I'll get one! I've used a blanket before but it didn't work (can't remember why) but I'll give it another go. Cheers