Grow Your Own Sloe Gin? Yes Please! 🍸
Plant Blackthorn Hedging This Season
If the idea of sipping your own homemade sloe gin by the fire sounds appealing (and honestly, when doesn’t it?), now is the perfect time to start… in the garden! 🌿
Believe it or not, the journey to great sloe gin begins with planting Buckthorn hedging — and the best time to do that is right now, while plants are bare root.
What is Blackthorn (and why should I care)?
Blackthorn, is a classic native hedging plant. It’s tough, hardy, wildlife-friendly, and best of all… it produces sloes — those small, dark purple fruits that are essential for sloe gin.
Plant it as a hedge and you’ll get:
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A strong, dense boundary 🌱
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Beautiful spring blossom 🌸
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Autumn berries for foraging 🍇
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And a very good excuse to make gin 🍸
Win-win.
Why Bare Root Hedging?
Bare root plants might not look like much at first, but don’t be fooled — they’re fantastic value and establish brilliantly.
Planting bare root hedging now means:
✔ Strong root growth
✔ Healthier plants long-term
✔ Faster establishment
✔ A fuller hedge in the years to come
In other words, future-you will be very glad you planted them.
From Hedge to Glass 🍸
Once your Buckthorn hedge is established (patience is key!), it will reward you with sloes in the autumn. After the first frost, they’re ready to pick — or you can pop them in the freezer to achieve the same effect.
Add sloes to gin, a little sugar, wait a few months… and voilà! Your very own homemade sloe gin. Imagine pouring a glass and saying, “I grew this.” 🍷
We’ve Got You Covered
At Lyndhurst Garden Centre, we’ve got lots of bare root hedging varieties in store, including Blackthorn. Whether you’re planting a brand-new hedge or filling in gaps, our team is always happy to offer advice on planting, spacing, and care.
So if you’re thinking ahead to future harvests, wildlife-friendly gardens, or just fancy a hedge with benefits… now’s the time to plant.
Pop in, grab some Blackthorn, and start growing your very own sloe gin story 🌿🍸