Hornbeam – planting and care

Common beech can be planted both in spring and autumn (or all year round if it is a potted plant), and how it should be planted depends a bit on how you plan to use it. If you are using it as a solitary tree that grows on its own, you do not need to worry too much about distance from everything else, the most important thing is good depth with good soil, nutrients, and water.,,Planting common beech hedge,On the other hand, if you are planting it as a hedge, the most important thing is to think about the distance and make sure to plant in a way that is straight specifically for hedges. Here it is about controlling your newly planted growth in a desired direction, which for the hedge's case is straight up. Feel free to support your plants with bamboo sticks for the first few years to get them to grow evenly, and do not plant them too close together.,,Right soil and watering,The soil to be used is a mixture of nutrient-rich, humus-rich, and well-drained soil, which should preferably be mixed with the soil already present in the ground. The common beech is not particularly picky when it comes to soil, but it is important for it to have proper access to water and not dry out, especially at the beginning of the growing season. Therefore, make sure to water your plants if it has been dry for a long time, sometimes as often as twice a week.,,Care and fertilization for common beech,It is also recommended to fertilize the common beech in spring so that it has plenty of nutrients to use during the growing season. Considering its rapid growth, it is wise to provide plenty of nutrients.,,When to prune?,The pruning time for a common beech is in the JAS period, between July and September. As mentioned, the common beech tolerates quite hard pruning, and if you want to control the height of the plants, it is the top that should be pruned first of all. But let it grow to the height you want it to be before cutting the top - then prune. Your common beech hedge will then grow more in width and you will have a denser hedge.

In the North, the common hornbeam is relatively rare in nature. As a tree in the wild, it only grows in the southernmost parts of our country. However, it is a plant that is very common in Norwegian gardens and parks in the form of shrubs and hedges. The common hornbeam is planted in this way because of its ability to tolerate most conditions. It is not particularly demanding to take care of, and once well established in its growing spot, one can expect to have a fabulous plant for many years to come.,The adaptability to different soil types and locations goes hand in hand with its ability to withstand harsh pruning, making the common hornbeam an excellent plant for planting as a shaped hedge or as shaped solitary plants. This tree can grow up to 25 meters high, but it is more common for it to reach around ten meters as a tree.,When growing common hornbeam as a hedge, one can expect the height of the plants to reach a maximum of three meters, and based on this height, one can then choose how to shape it, either leaving it as it is or trimming it down to the desired level. Once in place, the common hornbeam will withstand wind well, stand sturdy, and be resilient in many ways.

When conditions are ideal, the hornbeam also grows rapidly - it can grow over 50 centimeters in one year. The appearance of the hornbeam is characteristic. Its main feature is the leaves, which grow in spring and become beautifully light green. These light green leaves grow very densely, which of course is one of the main reasons why the hornbeam is used as a hedge, due to its privacy-protective properties. The leaves also have a very special shape, egg-round with a pointed, serrated edge. The leaves also have strong veins on the underside, creating the hornbeam's unique appearance. These leaves turn yellow as autumn approaches, before changing to a reddish-brown color. The flowers on a hornbeam are small and barely visible, blooming between May and June.

I will state that the hornbeam grows best in the southern parts, but it is perfectly fine to plant it throughout the country - especially as a hedge plant, since it is particularly hardy for quite tough pruning. Hornbeam, which is part of the birch family and produces leaves accordingly, is a very easy-to-grow plant that is also easy to care for. In many cases, hornbeam is called white beech, especially when it comes to using the tree for lumber. This tree actually has hard wood, one of the hardest among Norwegian trees today. However, it is not particularly common, because in its wild form the tree does not grow particularly large, and most of the cultivation of hornbeam today is mainly for hedges, which are usually well pruned. If you are looking for a hedge that grows nicely, that you can shape as you wish, and also gives you lots of beautiful autumn colors, then hornbeam is the plant for you!

Was one of the very last deciduous trees to immigrate to Norway after the ice age, Grows wild in large parts of Central and Southern Europe as well as in the western parts of Asia, Has the hardest and strongest wood found in Norway, and was previously used for many details in machinery, Is the national tree of Öland in Sweden, A easily cultivated and easy to care for plant that thrives in most soils, Loses some of its leaves in the winter, but it is common for quite a few reddish-brown leaves to remain until new buds push them away, Is part of the birch family and is also called white beech, Blooms in the spring and the tree can grow up to 25 meters high under favorable conditions, We give you simple tips and more knowledge, Five good alternatives - fast-growing hedge >>, Learn more about pruning in the JAS period >>, Learn more about deciduous pants and trees >>