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Quality Assured.
Grown In The UK.
Established 1987.
UK Mainland.*
Hornbeam trees are native to the more temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, including China and central Europe, and the Carpinus betulus is native the UK. The common name of 'Hormbeam' comes from the fact that the wood is so hard that it is likeable to the strength of a stag horn, and 'beam' was the Old English word for tree. The hardiness of the wood makes it perfect for extremely durable woodwork, like parquet flooring or gear pegs in traditional windmills. Despite its durability, the Hornbeam is not a popular choice with carpenters as the wood is too hard to work with for more intricate tasks. Hornbeam trees are monoecious, which means that the male and female catkins can be found on the same tree.
The leaves are alternate, ovate and doubly toothed with prominent veins which make the foliage highly distinguishable from other trees. The leaves are technically described as deciduous, but unusually the majority of the leaves change colour in autumn and hold on the tree over winter until the new shoots are ready in spring. This unusual attribute makes Hornbeams great hedging trees, as they still provide decent cover in the dormant period of winter. Many people train hornbeams as a pleached hedge, and they work really well in this way when trained above a fence.
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Carpinus betulus
Hornbeam Tree
Common Name: Hornbeam TreeLatin Name: Carpinus betulusSoil: Any good garden soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadeFlowering period/colour: Spring/Green catkinsHardiness: Fully hardyHeight and spread in 20 years: 6m/5mSpecial features: A handsome deciduous tree with dense very attractive dark green leaves.Similar in appearance to beech, hornbeam makes a superb specimen tree. Grown as a tree, it has a pyramidal shape that later becomes more rounded. Although it is deciduous, it retains its coppery dead leaves throughout the winter so it remains an effective screen. Green catkins appear in spring and winged nuts develop in autumn.
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Carpinus betulus Rockhampton Red
Hornbeam Tree
Common Name: HornbeamLatin Name: Carpinus betulus 'Rockingham Red'Soil: Any good garden soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadeHardiness: Fully hardyHeight and spread in 20 years: 6m/5mSpecial features: Outstanding autumn colour The 'Rockingham Red' is the perfect choice for outstanding and reliable autumn colour; the green summer leaves turn to blistering shades of orange and red in autumn. As with many hornbeam varieties, the majority of leaves do not fall; instead, in late November, the leaves crisp to a golden brown colour and they remain on the branches until spring. The attractive leaves are ovate in shape, toothed at the margins and ridged on their surface. This is a fantastic choice for a specimen tree, particularly because of its strong autumn colour.
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