Carpinus betulus - Hornbeam is an excellent versatile species which is generally used for hedging although just as commonly used as a specimen tree in gardens. If grown for hedging the leaves will stay on throughout most of the winter.

Approx 2ft /40-60cm trees supplied.

Hornbeam has attractive green ribbed leaves which are smaller than beech with a fine toothed edge. Superb yellow/orange foliage colour in the autumn, and if left to grow as a large tree the fluted grey bark provides an interesting contrast.

If you are comparing Beech or Hornbeam for hedging and you have damp soil and or you are in a cold exposed area then we would suggest using Hornbeam .

🇬🇧 Grown here in the UK

Site and soil

Hornbeam will do well on most soils including wet clays. It is also tolerant of shade and frost pockets, and because the timber is so strong, it withstands wind well without damage to the branches.

Height and spread

After 10 years: 6m x 4m

After 20 years: 11m x 6m

Leaf and bark

The leaves are ovate and sharply toothed, with prominent veins. They are between 7 – 12 cm long, mid green, turning yellow and orange before leaf fall in autumn. The leaves are retained over winter on hedging. The bark is grey and fluted, often twisted with age.

Flower, seed and fruit

The yellowish female catkins open in clusters in March and are followed by racemes of green winged fruits, which ripen to brown.

Uses

Hornbeam makes an elegant pyramidal, later rounded, specimen tree for parkland, woodland and larger gardens. It coppices well, and in the past older trees were pollarded. It makes a good hedge, retaining its dead leaves over winter, and is also used for making flat pleached hedges where each plant is given a good spacing and the branches are trained out horizontally on each side at regular intervals.

The wood is very hard and is used for butcher’s blocks, mallets, gun stocks, mill cogs and piano hammers.

Wildlife

Insects are attracted to the catkins in spring and several species of moth larvae feed on its leaves. Insects shelter in the crevices of the bark, providing food for birds.

Approx 40-60cm tall cell grown.