This confused me because I had no idea why so many of them were planted everywhere when you hardly ever see them except around Christmas in other places in the world!
Hawthorn can essentially grow anywhere it has been planted. It grows especially well in the U.K. because of the amount of rain we get here, and because Hawthorn doesn't need a lot of sunshine either (perfect considering how many cloudy and rainy days we have here!). Their bright color also makes them a pretty plant to have around, hence why so many people plant them. They add a pop of color and grow very full and dense so some people use them for privacy in front of their homes or fences.
Hawthorn uses its environment to survive by using itself to adapt to whatever conditions are present. Hawthorn branches are able to store water in case there's a drought but the plant also has deep roots that make it less susceptible to washing away whenever it's raining too much. The berries also play a key role, because if the plant itself does not have proper nutrients, it will stop growing berries in order to protect its base. This means we wouldn't be able to see any pretty red berries, but the plant would be able to survive the extreme conditions.
The only thing that can really harm Hawthorn is extreme weather and a pair of hedge trimmers. As I mentioned earlier, the plant has evolved to different forms in trees, bushes and even vines so it would be very hard to get rid of Hawthorn - even for Mother Nature!
