How to grow hornbeam trees

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Hornbeams are tough trees that can cope with exposed conditions. They can be grown as a standalone, specimen tree in a large garden or as part of mixed woodland planting. They are suitable for coppicing and pollarding to keep them more compact; pleached trees are also available. Hornbeam is also a popular choice for a formal hedge.

Hornbeam gets its name from the strength of its wood – 'beam' means 'tree' in old English. As it holds its foliage over winter, it provides shelter and roosting sites for birds. In spring, the leaves are a food plant for insects, including several moths. In autumn, birds including finches and tits and small mammals eat the winged seeds that fall to the ground.

As it keeps its dense autumn foliage over winter, the hornbeam tree is a useful screening tree. Expect your tree to grow at a rate of 30cm-60cm each year. Carpinus betulus has the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Hornbeams can live for over 300 years.

How to grow hornbeam trees

For best results grow hornbeam in any moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.

Where to grow a hornbeam tree

Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' (hornbeam 'Fastigiata'), a deciduous tree with leaves that turn yellow in autumn onwards, on a bright afternoon in November in England — A hornbeam tree in autumn. Getty Images

Grow a hornbeam tree in any moist but well drained soil, in full sun or partial shade. No pruning is necessary. It's perfect as part of a mixed woodland planting scheme.

How to plant a hornbeam tree

Lower the tree into the planting hole — Planting a hornbeam tree

Stand the tree in water to ensure its roots are damp
Dig a square hole that’s slightly wider than the pot your tree is in, but no deeper. Lightly fork the base and sides of the hole to ensure the soil isn’t compacted
Remove the pot from container-grown trees and any wrapping from bare-root ones. Tease out and unwind any circling roots. Stand the tree in the planting hole, then lay a cane across the hole to check that the top of the rootball – or the dark soil mark on bare-root trees – is level with the soil surface
Backfill around the rootball with the excavated soil, shaking the tree a little to help the soil settle around the roots. Use your heel to firm gently all around the rootball and ensure there is good contact between the roots and the soil
If planting in an exposed site, stake the tree to prevent windrock, which can tear the roots and create a gap around the base of the trunk that can fill with water and encourage rot. The stake should be about a third of the height of the tree, hammered in at a 45° angle. Attach the trunk to the stake using an adjustable tree tie
Water the tree thoroughly, then keep it watered during dry spells for at least the first year

Read our detailed guide to planting trees.

Where to buy hornbeam online

Caring for a hornbeam tree

European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), male inflorescences, Lower Saxony, Germany — A hornbeam tree in spring. Getty Images

Keep your tree well watered in its first year, while its roots are establishing. After that it should get all the moisture it needs from rainfall. Hornbeams do not need pruning but they can be pollarded or coppiced to keep them compact. If you're growing a hornbeam hedge, clip it once a year in mid- to late summer to keep it looking tidy. Find out more about pruning a hornbeam hedge.

How to propagate hornbeams

typical seeds of a hornbeam tree — Hornbeam seeds. Getty Images

Hornbeam can be propagated via seeds. Sow at any time of year – germination can take up to a year.

Sow thinly on the surface of moist seed compost, seal in a polythene bag
Place in a cold frame or sheltered part of the garden
Transplant the seedlings when large enough to handle into small, individual pots. Grow on in a sheltered spot

Hornbeams can also be propagated via softwood cuttings.

Growing hornbeam trees: problem solving

Hornbeam is largely problem free. It may be affected by Phytopthera, fungal disease. To avoid it, make sure it has good drainage. Grey squirrels can peel the bark – protect young trees with guards or chicken wire.

Advice on buying a hornbeam tree

You can buy hornbeam trees either as bare root trees (supplied when dormant in winter) or as pot-grown trees, which can be planted at any time of year
Buying a young, bare root sapling is the most economical way to buy, but if you want instant impact, choose the largest pot-grown tree you can afford
Buy from a specialist tree nursery or online retailer
Check that you have enough room for a hornbeam tree as they can reach 20m tall

Where to buy hornbeam trees online

Varieties of hornbeam to grow

Hornbeam trees (Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata') — Hornbeam trees (*Carpinus betulus* 'Fastigiata')

Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' – neater and denser than the species, and the leaves have more of a glossy sheen. Young plants grow quickly, producing a formal, almost triangular shape. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Height x Spread: 25m x 10m