Hawthorn is the Birth Flower of May.

The hawthorn is technically a tree and can grow into a beautiful hedge with white or pink blossoms.

Sometimes known as the May tree, because that’s when its pink and white blossom emerges in all its glory, it’s often used as a hedge. In fact the name of the fruit, the haw, comes from the Old English haga, meaning hedge.

Flowering branches of the hawthorn are highly decorative, and were often placed on display on 1 May. People went “a-Maying”, gathering the branches and placing them above their front doors for good luck.