- A different leaf color for each season
- Easier to care for than beech hedges
- Create hornbeam hedges on slopes or in front of fences
- Hornbeam hedge for natural garden design
Hornbeam hedges are ideal for planting on property lines and directly in the garden. After a few years, they form a dense privacy screen. With a garden design with hornbeam hedges, different garden areas can be visually separated from each other.
Hornbeam hedges can be used to limit beds, for example
A different leaf color for each season
A hornbeam hedge is not planted because of the inconspicuous flowers, but because of their foliage.
The leaves have a different color in each season:
- Spring when budding: light green
- Summer: fresh medium green
- Autumn: yellow autumn leaves
- Winter: brown
The leaves stick to the hornbeam hedge for a very long time. They often only fall off when new growth begins in spring.
As a result, a hornbeam hedge offers good privacy all year round.
Easier to care for than beech hedges
A big advantage of garden design with a hornbeam hedge is that the plants are easier to care for and are not as picky about the location as beech trees.
Beech trees like it a little warmer, while the hornbeam from the birch family also copes very well with cool temperatures.
The hornbeam is a deep-rooted tree, while the common beech is a shallow-rooted tree. Planting a beech hedge near sidewalks or utility lines can cause flagstones to be lifted or lines to burst. This danger does not exist with the hornbeam.
Create hornbeam hedges on slopes or in front of fences
Hornbeams also tolerate drier locations quite well. You can even plant them on slopes. This is unthinkable for a red beech, for example.
Hornbeam hedges are so easy to cut that even arches can be cut with them. This allows you to create passages or set interesting accents in your garden design.
You can also plant a hornbeam hedge directly in front of a metal fence. This is useful if, for example, you keep small dogs or want to prevent rabbits and other small animals from entering the garden. After a few years, there is almost nothing left of the fence.
Hornbeam hedge for natural garden design
Hornbeam hedges are often used as nesting sites by birds, especially blackbirds. Many little garden dwellers also feel comfortable in it. A hornbeam hedge is therefore an ideal planting for natural gardens.
tips
One of the most beautiful and oldest examples of garden design with a hornbeam hedge can be found in Pulsnitz in Saxony. There is the famous 150-year-old arcade, which looks like something out of a fairy tale with its gnarled hornbeams.