Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Hornbeam tolerates damp sites and surprisingly deep shade. Hornbeam wood is amazingly tough (and will quickly blunt a chainsaw), hence it being known as "Ironwood", and burns well, hence another synonym, "Candlewood".

These trees typically like poorly drained heavy soils, usually slightly acidic. They will recover quickly from browsing.

Hornbeam's natural range in the UK is in the South East and East Anglia, where it was managed by pollarding, although we have some beautiful specimens in old wood pasture in Somerset dating from the 19th century, when they were popular. Carpinus betulus thrives on heavy soils and works well to make a formal hedge on its own, or as a component of a mixed hedge. It is, consequently, good for privacy and for providing shelter for birds and other wildlife.

Plants For Sale

Like all the native trees we sell, our Hornbeams are grown in the UK from UK origin seed. We're currently selling 2 year old 60/90cm plants, in multiples of 5.

Suppliers: RV Roger, British Hardwood Trees, Cheviot Trees. All these growers are Plant Healthy certified.

Please note that standard sizes relate to tree girths in cm, and approximate to the Hornbeam's height in feet. See our planting and size guide for details and tips on planting.

All these Hornbeam trees are bare root, and are consequently available for delivery from November until March. During the lifting season there may be up to a month's delay between placing the order and dispatching (longer for standards), due to weather conditions or pressure of orders, which are dealt with in date sequence. Orders for Hornbeams placed between March and September are confirmed in October ready for dispatch from November.