A Glastonbury Thorn

Recently, with a bit of time to spare on my travels, I took a detour to visit Wells, a place I had never been to before. Somewhat unexpectedly I found myself on the fringes of an armed siege (not a common event for a garden writer – or Wells) but undaunted your intrepid reporter moved rapidly in the opposite direction and spent a wonderful half hour listening to the choir rehearsing in the cathedral.  As I left, a tree caught my eye that I’m fairly certain was a Glastonbury Thorn. Legend has it that the first Crataegus monogyna ‘Biflora’ grew from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea when he planted it on the soil at Glastonbury.  What distinguishes it from other hawthorns is that it flowers twice a year  and this tree certainly had both blossom and berries – an intriguing sight.