Thorn? That’s not a thorn!

[Cabinetman]

I’m in Williamsburg Virginia at the moment at DIL’s and came across this wicked thing, all that survived from a large bush which was burned - a sensible way to deal with it I thought.
The ultimate hedging? The points are needle sharp and the thorns themselves are incredibly tough, I’m sorry no one knows what the bush was called.

 

[AndyP]

Google Honey Locust Ian.

 

[Lons]

As I'm six days through cutting hawthorn hedges, which are bad enough those thorns make me cringe.

 

[HdV]

And I thought the sea buckthorn I had to cut was nasty...

 

[Guineafowl21]

I met an old hedgelayer who had boots with steel plate in the soles for doing blackthorn. I can’t find any online, so they might have been home-made.

 

[Eric the Viking]

We were in Colonial Williamsburg the day before yesterday!

Didn’t see anything like that, but the mozzies were hungry!

 

[Cabinetman]

I met an old hedgelayer who had boots with steel plate in the soles for doing blackthorn. I can’t find any online, so they might have been home-made.

I reckon that these could go right through your foot they are so sharp and tough

We were in Colonial Williamsburg the day before yesterday!

Didn’t see anything like that, but the mozzies were hungry!

Eric! We could have met up! What a coincidence, funny though I am plat du jour for the damn things but haven’t had a single bite —yet.

Google Honey Locust Ian.

Yes you’re right that’s probably what it was, there are different types though, we had some in PA which were really beautiful no thorns but grew mountains of seed pods, which were like 8” lengths of brown leather belt, enough to fill to overflowing a large pick up truck.
Pics of both.

 

[Phil]

I’m in Williamsburg Virginia at the moment at DIL’s and came across this wicked thing, all that survived from a large bush which was burned - a sensible way to deal with it I thought.
The ultimate hedging? The points are needle sharp and the thorns themselves are incredibly tough, I’m sorry no one knows what the bush was called.

View attachment 36231

That would look far better than a barbed wire or electric fence

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I met an old hedgelayer who had boots with steel plate in the soles for doing blackthorn. I can’t find any online, so they might have been home-made.

Blackthorns are evil things, the thorns go in one place then move around under the skin. They go septic at the drop of a hat.

 

[Lons]

I met an old hedgelayer who had boots with steel plate in the soles for doing blackthorn. I can’t find any online, so they might have been home-made.

You can still buy them. Decent work boots usually have a puncture proof mid sole plate of steel or mor often an APT plate which is non metalic.
Do a search on some of the specialist suppliers or check Arco as they used to sell them.

 

[Jar944]

Looks like hawthorn