Field elm

Field elm: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 15–30 m with a crown of about 10 m, but often a shrub in hedges; forms many root suckers.

Leaves

Alternate, 4–10 cm, oval to elliptic with a pointed tip, double-toothed; upper side smooth and glossy, underside with white tufts of hair in the vein axils. Very lopsided base; leaf stalk 5–15 mm.

Bark

Grey-brown, furrowed lengthways into small blocks; young twigs and suckers often with conspicuous corky ridges.

Flowers

Clusters of small reddish flowers in March, before the leaves.

Fruit

Round to obovate winged fruits 1–1.5 cm long, with the seed near the top, close to the notch.

Difference from wych elm

Wych elm has a much larger, very rough leaf with a short, hidden stalk, and large fruits with the seed in the middle.

Difference from Dutch elm

Dutch elm, a cross with wych elm, has a larger and somewhat rougher leaf, with all kinds of intermediate forms.

Difference from field maple

Field maple also has corky ridges and grows in hedges too, but its lobed leaves are opposite.

Flowering: March · Pruning: November–February

Identify by feature: Lopsided leaf base

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Wych elm Ulmus glabra: much larger, very rough leaf with a short, hidden stalk, and large fruits with the seed in the middle. Difference from wych elm
• Dutch elm Ulmus × hollandica: a cross with wych elm: larger and somewhat rougher leaf, with all kinds of intermediate forms. Difference from Dutch elm
• Field maple Acer campestre: also has corky ridges and grows in hedges too, but its lobed leaves are opposite. Difference from field maple

Why grow it?

• A native hedging plant that takes clipping and coppicing well.
• Food plant of the white-letter hairstreak, a rare little butterfly that lives in the crown.
• A clipped hedge keeps thin stems and so usually escapes Dutch elm disease.
• Flowers in March, before the leaves: an early source of pollen.

Field elm: where does it grow best?

• Full sun.
• Almost any soil, ideally fertile clay or loam; chalk is no problem.
• Copes well with wind: a classic tree for dykes and open landscapes.
• As a free-standing tree (15–30 m, crown about 10 m) only for a large garden or a park; in an ordinary garden as a clipped hedge or in a mixed hedgerow. Bear the root suckers in mind: not right next to a border or patio.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

20 m tall, 10 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Field maple: Another native hedging plant with corky ridges, which takes clipping well and has lovely autumn colour.
• Spindle: Pink fruits with orange seeds in autumn, in the same mixed hedge.
• Dog rose: Scrambles through the hedge and gives pink flowers and red hips.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Field elm: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, when the ground is not frozen.
2. For a hedge: about 3 young plants per metre, cut back at planting time in winter so they branch out low down.
3. A seedling or a sucker from the wild is not resistant to Dutch elm disease: keep it as a hedge or coppice, or choose a resistant cultivar for a free-standing tree.
4. Water after planting and during dry spells in the first summer.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first few years; rarely needed after that.

Feeding

Not needed.

Suckers

Mow or cut root suckers in lawns or borders regularly.

Checking

In June–July, look out for branches that suddenly wilt and turn yellow or brown: the first sign of Dutch elm disease.

Tip: A mixed hedge of field elm, hawthorn, field maple and spindle is good for birds and butterflies – and thanks to the clipping, the elm stays thin and healthy in it.

Field elm: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–February.

When: Only in winter (November–February).

How:

• Prune or coppice in winter, never in spring or summer: fresh wounds attract the elm bark beetle.
• Trim a hedge into shape in winter; coppice is cut back to the ground every few years and regrows well.
• Remove diseased branches from the site and disinfect your tools.

Caution: Mow or cut root suckers in lawns or borders regularly.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Root suckers

In winter, dig up a sucker with a piece of root and replant it straight away. Such a plant is not resistant to Dutch elm disease.

Field elm: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy, also on the coast.
• Winter is the only good season for pruning and coppicing; the first reddish flowers appear in March.

Diseases and pests

• Dutch elm disease: Leaves on a branch wilt in June–July, turn yellow to brown and often stay hanging. There is no cure: cut diseased stems down to the ground and clear away the wood with bark; the roots often sprout again.
• Elm bark beetle: A small bark beetle that breeds in diseased and dead elms and carries the fungus to healthy trees. Clear away dead elm wood.
• Suckers: Shoots coming up in the lawn or border. Mow or cut them off regularly.
• Leaf galls: Rolled leaves or galls on the leaf, caused by aphids. Harmless.

Through the year

• January: Prune, trim the hedge or coppice; remove the prunings from the site.
• February: Last month for pruning.
• March: Flowers before the leaves; still planting season.
• May: Mow off root suckers.
• June: Look out for wilting branches (Dutch elm disease); do not prune.
• July: Check again for Dutch elm disease; cut off suckers.
• October: Yellow autumn colour.
• November: Planting season; pruning and coppicing are possible again.
• December: Prune: trim the hedge into shape; clear away dead elm wood.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

A typical tree of hedges, wood edges and dykes in the traditional landscape; regrows well after coppicing.

For wildlife

Food plant of the white-letter hairstreak, a rare little butterfly that lives in the crown.

Wood

Tough wood that is hard to split: once used for wheel hubs, keels and chopping blocks.

Did you know?

• Because of Dutch elm disease you mostly see it as a shrub in hedges and wood edges: once the stems are thick enough for the elm bark beetle, they die and sprout again from the roots.
• The first elm cultivar selected in the Netherlands against Dutch elm disease, ‘Christine Buisman’ (1930s), was a field elm. It proved unable to withstand the more aggressive form of the disease that appeared later.
• Its tough wood is hard to split: it was once used for wheel hubs, keels and chopping blocks.