Hornbeam

Further Information about Hornbeam

Why Choose Pleached Hornbeam Trees?

Pleached Hornbeam trees are stunning all year round – the leaves are a bright, fresh green when they first emerge in mid-Spring and become a deeper green as they mature in the Summer. In Autumn, the foliage changes through various shades of yellow before settling to a rich chocolate brown at the start of Winter.

The Hornbeam will retain its leaves through the winter (although it may lose them in particularly windy weather), meaning it will rarely look bare, so Hornbeam pleached trees and Hornbeam hedges are the perfect choice if you’re looking for native privacy. 

Pleached Hornbeams carry a lot of similarities to Green Beech (you can spot the difference through the leaves – a Hornbeam’s leaves have slightly serrated edges, while a green beech’s leaves are smooth at the edges), which makes it a great substitution if you want a Pleached tree with similar properties.

Qualities of Pleached Hornbeam

Hornbeam is a very popular Pleached tree choice not just because it looks good all year but also because it is so versatile.

Hornbeam grows in all soil types, even if it is poorly drained and does not suffer from the late Spring frosts that can damage other hedge species. Hornbeam will grow in full sun and partial shade, this is also a good choice for difficult windy and exposed sites where the plants will thrive while bringing valuable shelter and privacy as they develop.

Pleached Hornbeams are good shade trees and are often planted as street trees. Depending on the species, they can do well in full sun, partial shade, or full shade. They require regular amounts of water. Mature trees rarely need to be pruned – simply train foliage into the frame or cut off any wayward stems with sharp secateurs to maintain a tidy shape.

Care Tips and Advice on Pleached Hornbeam Trees

Can I leave pleached Hornbeam trees in pots?

No, we do not recommend you do this. Firstly, it will be difficult to create a stable line of trees while the pleached Hornbeams are still in their pots – planting them in solid ground will allow them to fill out and grow into each other without concern of being uprooted or moved. Secondly, and more importantly, leaving the pleached Hornbeam trees in their pots runs the risk of the plants out-growing them and becoming pot-bound (meaning there is no soil left to provide vital nutrients to the tree). If this happens they will struggle to survive and have to be moved anyway.

How far apart should I plant pleached Hornbeams?

Planting pleached Hornbeams is fairly intuitive, as they need to be planted close enough to make the appearance of one continuous hedge. One great rule for planting them is to ensure you dig a hole as deep as the root mass and about twice as wide. It is at least a two-person job to plant these well, so make sure to give yourselves plenty of room to do so. Pleached Hornbeams are a staple of the English formal garden, versatile and easy to maintain. Learn about the freshly pleached hornbeams we sell!

When should I prune pleached Hornbeam trees?

Hornbeams can be pruned approximately twice a year to keep them looking formal and tidy; it may need more pruning in the first few years and less once the pleached Hornbeam is mature. We have lots of relevant information available, from more pruning advice to general care tips, on our Hornbeam Hedge Maintenance knowledge base page.

Delivery Information

Pleached Hornbeam trees are available as pot-grown specimens for delivery all year round, or as root ball stock which is available for delivery during the Winter season of dormancy from late October until April. They can be delivered to addresses in mainland England and Wales.

We offer a bespoke delivery service for our pleached trees, which are too large for any courier delivery service. After we have arranged a mutually convenient day to deliver, we will bring the trees over on our own transport. Note that, since this is a special service, we will require a minimum order of £1500 (excluding VAT) to cover our costs. 

We can sometimes deliver smaller orders with a contribution towards delivery to more local addresses (South East), so please do message or call our sales team on 01580 765600, or take a look at our delivery page for more information.