Hornbeam Trees

• Variety: Hornbeam, the native tree for ground that beech will not take
• Common name: Hornbeam, common hornbeam
• Latin name: Carpinus betulus
• Type: Deciduous tree
• UK native: Yes
• Mature height: More than 12m (40ft), over more than 50 years
• Spread: More than 8m
• Trunk and leaf: Fluted grey trunk. Ribbed leaves 5-8cm long, yellow in autumn
• Fruit: Hop-like hanging clusters, to 8cm
• Soil: Any fertile soil: chalk, clay, loam or sand, any pH
• Position: Full sun or partial shade, exposed or sheltered
• Hardiness: H7, hardy anywhere in the UK
• Good for: Parkland, avenues, screening, heavy clay
• Similar varieties: Fastigiate Hornbeam (narrow when young, RHS AGM)
• Sold as: Bareroot standards, 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Plant: November to April, while dormant
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, is a large native deciduous tree, more than 12m tall and 8m wide in time, with a fluted grey trunk, ribbed leaves that turn yellow in autumn and hop-like fruit. It grows on every soil type, heavy clay included, in sun or partial shade, and is hardy to H7.

Hornbeam Trees

Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, is a fairly large, native, deciduous tree. Parkland hornbeam trees have dense, rounded canopies that cast full shade underneath them.

The green leaves look similar to those of beech, except for the more deeply crinkled veins and the jagged edges. The autumn colour is russet-gold. Hornbeam seeds have 3-lobed wings and are eaten mainly by small mammals, finches and tits.
It makes a beautiful parkland specimen, with a rounded, spreading canopy that casts deep shade underneath it.
Hornbeam can reach a height of about 25 metres.

You can also buy Fastigiate Hornbeam, which is more compact and upright than the wild variety on this page.
Standard trees are the largest size that we deliver; you can buy younger Hornbeam saplings, which are ideal for hedging.
Browse our large garden trees, or all of our trees.

Delivery season: Hornbeam trees are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it's convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Hornbeams

Hornbeams are versatile trees, only needing reasonably fertile soil. They love heavy clay, will tolerate shade and can be planted in the coldest regions and frost pockets.
The wood is very hard and can resist strong wind in exposed areas.

It's a superb screening tree that should need no pruning maintenance.

Hornbeam is the classic substitute for beech on wet or shady sites.

History & Trivia

Hornbeam wood is extremely strong and in the past it was prized for weight-bearing beams in the walls and roofs of houses. It is excellent firewood, producing almost as much heat for a given volume of fuel as coal.
It isn't very good at propagating itself in Britain and Northern Europe because the seeds can take 3 years to germinate, during which time they are mostly eaten. If a seed does get to sprout, the sapling is unlikely to survive its first year. Hornbeam's true native range in Britain is limited to the South East; it is so common elsewhere because humans have planted it for coppicing since ancient times.

In old English, beam referred to a living tree, and horn refers to the hardness of the wood.

Other common names: Charmille, yoke elm, and horn, horse, hurst, or white beech.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Planting Companions

Hornbeam and Green Beech are the pair people choose between: beech for chalk and sharp drainage, hornbeam for clay, wet and shade. English Oak is the other native parkland tree, and our lime trees make a third for an avenue. The same plant, clipped, is one of the best formal hedges there is: see hornbeam hedging. More natives are under native British trees.

Why Buy Your Trees from Us?

Your hornbeam is a bareroot standard, which like for like is larger, stronger and better value than a tree in a pot. Ashridge Nurseries has been selling trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hornbeam or beech: which should I plant?

Hornbeam on clay, wet ground or in shade; beech on chalk and anything that drains sharply. The RHS lists hornbeam for every soil type and every pH.

Is hornbeam a type of beech?

No. The RHS files it with the birches. The old names horn beech and white beech show how long the muddle has lasted. Hornbeam has a ribbed, toothed leaf and a fluted trunk.

How big does a hornbeam tree grow?

More than 12m high and 8m across, taking over 50 years about it. In a garden of ordinary size, grow hornbeam as a hedge, or plant the Fastigiate Hornbeam, which is narrow when young.

Does hornbeam hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit?

The Fastigiate Hornbeam holds it, awarded in 1993. The species on this page does not. It is the same tough native either way: H7, and at home on clay, in shade and in wind.

Will hornbeam grow on heavy clay?

Yes. Clay is on the RHS list for hornbeam, along with chalk, loam and sand, in sun or partial shade, exposed or sheltered. It is the standard answer where beech fails.

Does a standard hornbeam need a stake?

Yes, for two years. Put the stake in at planting time and check the tie each spring. After that a hornbeam looks after itself: the RHS puts it in pruning group 1, which means little or none.