Carpinus betulus Pleached
Carpinus betulus Pleached
Carpinus betulus Pleached Hornbeam
The pleached hornbeam is the gold standard for elevated privacy screening and architectural garden design. Trained into a clean, flat canopy on a clear stem, it creates an instant living wall of lush green foliage — perfect for screening at height without taking up ground space.
Key Features
- Winter interest: retains its russet-brown dead leaves well into winter, providing year-round structure and colour
- Wildlife friendly: supports caterpillars, birds, and beneficial insects
- Urban tolerant: thrives in city gardens, courtyards, and exposed sites
- Trained form: supplied as a shaped pleached frame — ready to plant and grow on
- Privacy screening: ideal for screening neighbours, roads, or unsightly views at 2m+ height
Growing Guide
Plant in any well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Trim once or twice a year (late summer and winter) to maintain the flat canopy shape. Hardy throughout the UK.
Perfect For
Formal gardens, contemporary landscapes, urban courtyards, boundary screening, and avenue planting.
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Planting Instructions
Planting Instructions
Pleached hornbeam establishes well in most UK soils. Plant autumn to spring, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground. Allow adequate spacing between trees for the canopy panels to connect as they grow.
- Dig a planting pit at least twice the width of the root ball and the same depth
- Incorporate well-rotted organic matter into the backfill
- Hornbeam tolerates heavy clay, chalk, and exposed sites
- Typical spacing: 1–1.5m apart for a continuous screen
- Water thoroughly after planting; apply a 5–10cm mulch ring, keeping mulch clear of the stem
- Secure the frame to posts or wires during establishment
- Trim once or twice a year (late summer and winter) to maintain the flat canopy shape
Size & Specification
Size & Specification
Supplied as nursery-trained pleached specimens on a clear stem with a flat lateral canopy panel. Contact us to confirm exact stem height and canopy dimensions available at time of order.
- Species: Carpinus betulus (Common Hornbeam)
- Form: Pleached — clear stem with trained flat lateral canopy
- Typical clear stem height: 1.8–2.2m
- Typical canopy panel: approx. 1.2–1.5m wide × 0.6–1m tall
- Approximate weight: 50kg — mechanical handling or two-person lift required
- Pot-grown or root-balled depending on season and availability
Delivery & Dispatch
Delivery & Dispatch
Pleached trees are large items requiring specialised delivery. All deliveries are kerbside to mainland UK only. Please allow 14–28 days for delivery — this allows us to select premium quality trees and dispatch them safely.
- Orders £150–£350: £100 delivery charge
- Orders £351–£700: £70 delivery charge
- Orders £701–£1,500: £40 delivery charge
- Kerbside delivery only — please arrange offloading in advance
- UK mainland only — Lancashire-based nursery
- Contact us to discuss your specific delivery requirements
Wildlife & Ecological Notes
Wildlife & Ecological Notes
Common Hornbeam is a native British woodland tree with strong ecological value, supporting wildlife throughout all seasons even in its pleached form.
- Catkins provide early pollen for bees and other pollinators in spring
- Seeds (hop-like nutlets) eaten by finches, tits, and small mammals
- Dense branching and canopy provides nesting habitat and cover for birds
- Supports caterpillars and numerous invertebrate species associated with native woodland
- Retained russet-brown winter foliage provides additional shelter for overwintering insects and birds
- UK native — fully adapted to local soils, climate, and wildlife communities