[pgkevet]

I hate blackthorn... a real pain to deal with...

I had to have g/a and surgery to remove a significant lump in my elbow (after ultrasounds, MRI's etc) which turned out to be a caseous necrosis with a thorn in the middle...must have got in my arm lower down and migrated up. At least it justified my private insurance premiums (or I'd still be waiting)

Whatever you put in a hedge make sure it includes fruits and nuts, dwarf trees if necessary.

[Marches Farmer]

We have a lot of blackthorn in one hedge and I have to prune out the suckers every year, which now extend two metres into the field.  I once got a thorn in the knuckle joint of one of my fingers - the swelling didn't hurt but took six years to disappear.  Field maple and hazel grow very quickly, holly faster than you'd think.