Hop-hornbeam

Hop-hornbeam: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 10–20 m with a broad, rounded crown.

Leaf

Alternate, 5–10 cm, oval with a pointed tip, sharply double-toothed, with 11–15 pairs of parallel veins.

Bark

Grey-brown; on older trees in narrow, loose flakes.

Flower

Hanging male catkins in April; they are visible all winter at the tips of the twigs.

Fruit

Hanging clusters 3–5 cm long of white, bladder-like bracts, each enclosing a nutlet, like hops.

Difference from hornbeam

Hornbeam has a smooth, ‘muscular’ trunk and nutlets on three-lobed winged bracts.

Difference from hazel

Hazel is a multi-stemmed shrub with a round, softly hairy leaf.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: November–February

Identify by feature: Peeling bark

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Hornbeam Carpinus betulus: smooth, ‘muscular’ trunk and nutlets on three-lobed winged bracts. Difference from hornbeam
• Hazel Corylus avellana: round, softly hairy leaf; a multi-stemmed shrub. Difference from hazel

Why grow it?

• A tough tree for dry, chalky and warm sites, including in towns.
• Decorative, hop-like fruit clusters from summer into autumn.
• Seeds for birds and pollen in April.
• Very hard, heavy wood for tool handles and firewood.

Hop-hornbeam: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade.
• Well-drained soil, preferably chalky; it tolerates drought and heat, but not wet feet.
• Allow a crown 10 m wide: suitable for a large garden, a park, an avenue or a street.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry

Size

15 m tall, 10 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Manna ash: A tree from the same southern European woods, which likes chalk and drought just as much.
• Cornelian cherry: A shrub for chalky soil, with small yellow flowers as early as February.
• Wayfaring-tree: A native shrub for dry, chalky soil, with white flower heads and red to black berries.
• Hornbeam: Its northern relative: together a mixed avenue or hedgerow, with hornbeam on the moister stretches.

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

Hop-hornbeam: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. Put a stake on the windward side and water well after planting.
3. On heavy, wet soil it grows poorly: plant a hornbeam there instead.
4. Protect the trunk of a young tree from rabbits and deer.

Care

Watering

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

Feeding

Not needed.

Shaping

Shape a young tree in winter: a single central stem and well-spaced branches.

Trunk

Keep mowers away from the trunk of a young tree.

Tip: Torn between hornbeam and hop-hornbeam? On dry, chalky or warm sites, such as along a street or in a stony garden, hop-hornbeam is the better choice.

Hop-hornbeam: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–February.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it in winter (November–February).

How:

• Little pruning needed. Formative pruning of young trees in winter.
• Remove crossing and low-hanging branches; cut large branches in three stages, just outside the branch collar.

Caution: Don’t prune during the nesting season, and leave large trees to a tree surgeon.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

Sow the nutlets outdoors in a seedbed in autumn; they often only germinate after one or two winters.

Hop-hornbeam: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• In winter the male catkins are already waiting at the tips of the twigs; they open in April.

Diseases and pests

• Wet soil: On wet, heavy soil it grows poorly and the roots may rot. Choose a well-drained spot.
• Drought after planting: Although it tolerates drought later on, a newly planted tree needs water in its first year.
• Damage to the trunk: Diseases and pests are rare here; above all, keep rabbits and deer away from a young trunk.

Through the year

• January: Formative pruning while dormant.
• February: Last month for formative pruning; plant in mild weather.
• March: Last month for planting.
• April: Flowering: hanging catkins, together with the young leaves.
• August: The hop-like fruit clusters are fully grown.
• October: The fruit clusters turn pale brown; gather nutlets for sowing.
• November: Planting season; formative pruning can begin.
• December: Formative pruning; remove dead wood.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Tough street and park tree for dry, chalky and warm sites.

Wood

Very hard, heavy wood for tool handles and firewood.

For wildlife

Seeds for birds; pollen in April.

Did you know?

• Naturally a tree of southern Europe, up into the Alps. It tolerates heat, drought and chalk better than hornbeam and is therefore increasingly planted as a street tree.
• Its name comes from the fruit clusters, which look like the cones of hops.
• In southern Europe it often grows together with manna ash, in open woodland on limestone.