Description
Carpinus betulus is a fast-growing, deciduous tree with a grey bark that develops ridges with age. It has bright green, ovate leaves that turn to a beautiful russet orange/brown in the autumn, catkins that open in spring and clusters of green, winged fruits in autumn. The Hornbeam is a deciduous tree but, similar to Beech, it holds onto the rich foliage well into the winter months making it great as a screening option.
Carpinus betulus is often planted as a specimen tree or used to create structure and screening, in larger gardens, open areas or woodland. The hornbeam also copes well with trimming, this means that it can be clipped to form a spectacular dense screens like we have here, these have been shaped and pruned in this long cylindrical shape shown in the photo, making a very architectural looking specimen tree. I noticed recently that the RHS have planted columns, similar to these, in their new Paradise Garden in RHS Bridgewater. The stems are 1.8metres with a total height of 4-5m.