- Botanical name: Carpinus betulus
- Common name: Hornbeam
- Family: Corylaceae
- Plant Type: Tree, Deciduous
Green
- Key features:
- Attractive to wildlife
- Autumn colour
Similar in appearance to beech, hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) makes a superb specimen tree or hedging plant. Grown as a tree, it has a pyramidal shape that later becomes more rounded. As a formal hornbeam hedge it requires clipping once a year in mid- to late summer to keep it looking tidy. You can also grow pleached hornbeam trees, which are excellent for creating screening above head height, while retaining space at ground level. However they do require a lot of pruning to keep them in shape, which isn’t suitable for everyone’s needs.
Hornbeam is particularly useful for hedging as it looks formal while growing up to 50cm per year, so it doesn’t take long to develop into a hedge. Although not evergreen, Carpinus betulus retains its coppery dead leaves throughout the winter so it remains an effective screen. Green catkins appear in spring and winged nuts develop in autumn.
For best results grow Carpinus betulus in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. If growing carpinus betulus hedging, plant young whips 30cm apart and keep well watered. Standard hornbeam trees and pleasched hornbeam trees should be planted at the same depth they were in the field or pot. For best results plant in autumn and keep well watered for the first two years after planting.
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Advice on buying Carpunus betulus
- Make sure you know which type of hornbeam you want to buy. Buy whips to plant a hedge and a two-year ol standard tree if you want a tree. Pleached trees require a lot of care and pruning so make sure you have the time and patience to grow these
- Make sure your tree was grown in the UK or has a suitable ‘plant passport’ to prevent the spread of disease
- Always check plants for sigs of damage or disease before planting
Where to buy hornbeam
- Thompson & Morgan (standards and hedging)
- Crocus (standards and hedging)
- Primrose (standards and hedging)
- Ornamental trees
How to grow Carpinus betulus
-
Plant size
25m height
20m spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
-
Position in border
Back
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, full sun
- Hardiness: Hardy
- Soil type: Chalky / alkaline / clay / heavy / moist / well drained / light / sandy
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | ||||||||||||
| Sow |
J
Do not Sow in January |
F
Do not Sow in February |
M
Do not Sow in March |
A
Do not Sow in April |
M
Do not Sow in May |
J
Do not Sow in June |
J
Do not Sow in July |
A
Do not Sow in August |
S
Do not Sow in September |
O
Do Sow in October |
N
Do Sow in November |
D
Do not Sow in December |
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do not Plant in May |
J
Do not Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do Plant in September |
O
Do Plant in October |
N
Do Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Prune | ||||||||||||
| Prune |
J
Do not Prune in January |
F
Do not Prune in February |
M
Do not Prune in March |
A
Do not Prune in April |
M
Do not Prune in May |
J
Do Prune in June |
J
Do not Prune in July |
A
Do not Prune in August |
S
Do Prune in September |
O
Do not Prune in October |
N
Do not Prune in November |
D
Do not Prune in December |
Carpinus betulus and wildlife
Carpinus betulus is known for attracting birds. It provides shelter and habitat and makes a good wildlife hedge.
Does not attract Bees
Does not attract Beneficial insects
Attractive to Birds
Does not attract Butterflies/Moths
Does not attract Other pollinators
Is Carpinus betulus poisonous?
Carpinus betulus has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
