How and When to prune back a Hawthorn tree?
Hawthornes are very hardy trees.and actually flourish when pruned properly. The rule of thumb for pruning flowering trees is to do it right after flowering. I would suggest looking at the shape of the tree. You can prune out a third of the tree every year. Prune out does not mean down or off. It’s more like a thinning to the entire tree. If you can take a few photos of the tree and really look at them to decide what to cut. You will actually improve the health of the tree by allowing better air ciculation which can help in humid climates. If you are worried about disturbing the birds nesting , then do your pruning in early spring- Mid March. I hope this helps.
