- Hornbeams are absolutely hardy
- Mulch before winter
- Do not cut back the hornbeam before winter
- Hornbeam leaves stick
- Water hornbeams in winter
Older hornbeams are absolutely hardy and do not actually need winter protection. What really bothers the trees is prolonged drought. Younger trees should be watered more often during a dry winter.
Frost and snow do not bother the hornbeam
Hornbeams are absolutely hardy
Hornbeams are native trees that can easily withstand temperatures down to minus 20 degrees or even lower. Older trees basically do not need protection in winter.
Younger trees that have just been planted should definitely be protected from frost in the first year.
Hornbeams that you grow in pots as columnar hornbeams overwinter in a cold greenhouse or in a sheltered spot on the patio. It shouldn't get colder than minus ten degrees there.
Mulch before winter
Even if hornbeams survive the winter without protection, a mulch layer made of leaves, lawn clippings or straw makes sense. It fulfills several functions:
- Prevents drying out
- keeps weeds down
- supplies the soil with nutrients
Do not cut back the hornbeam before winter
Unlike many other trees and shrubs in the garden, the hornbeam is not cut back in autumn. The pruning takes place in February.
The last cut should be carried out in August at the latest.
Hornbeam leaves stick
A special feature of the hornbeam is that the tree is deciduous, but the leaves often hang on the tree over winter until new growth.
In the cold, they are no longer supplied with water and nutrients and dry up.
You should simply leave fallen leaves lying around. They form a natural mulch layer under the hornbeam. As they rot, they release nutrients that act as fertilizer. However, you must rake up leaves that are infested with pests or diseases and dispose of them in the household waste.
Water hornbeams in winter
In very dry winters, a hornbeam can wither. Young hornbeams are primarily at risk. They should be watered more often.
Water on a frost-free day. If possible, do not wet the trunk.
tips
A hornbeam is no longer fertilized from August. The tree would then sprout again. However, the new shoots no longer mature properly and die off in winter when there is frost.