Hornbeam Lucas (Carpinus betulus)

Carpinus betulus 'Lucas' is a fastigiate version of Hornbeam, which is to say that it grows in an upright columnar habit, so its branches will naturally grow upwards rather than spreading.  They will grow to a maximum height of around 8m and as they grow in a flame shape they are well suited to lining avenues or planting as individual feature trees.

Their leaves are the same colour as normal Hornbeam (i.e. green) during the growing season but they turn a rich golden colour in the autumn before their leaves die for the winter.

These are all feathered trees so have branches from the base without a clear stem.

You will see that there are several options for purchasing this tree depending on size and root formations.

The size of the tree is measured in centimetres and refers to the stem girth of the tree at approximately 1m above ground level.  Most of these trees will be around 3-4m in height but please note they are not sold by height, they are sold according to stem girth.  If in doubt about what this means, please do call the nursery and we will be happy to advise you.

You either have the choice of purchasing bare root, rootballed or container grown.  Container grown trees are grown in plastic pots or bags and can be planted all year round.  The bare root and rootballed options are field grown trees which are dug from our fields to order to minimise the length of time they are out of the ground.

Bare root trees are dug from our fields with no soil around their roots.  They must be planted immediately after receiving them to reduce the chances of their roots drying out and struggling to establish.  As there is no soil around their roots, they are a cheaper option for planting.

Rootballed trees are exactly the same tree dug from our fields however a ball of soil is dug around the roots which is then wrapped up in hessian.  This puts significantly less stress on the root system compared to a bare root, however pleased be advised that this can make them very heavy to handle, so please do telephone us to discuss this if you think it might be an issue for you.  When you receive the tree, you should plant it with the hessian still around the roots as it will quickly rot away and new root growth will easily push through the hessian.

Both the bare root and rootballed options are only available during the colder months of the year when they are dormant (usually between November and March, weather depending). Trees of this size should be planted using tree stakes and ties to help prevent them from blowing around too much in their first years of establishment.

Due to the size of these Hornbeam Lucas trees, we will need to quote for delivery on an individual basis. Please telephone us to discuss delivery of your plants. Plants can, of course, be collected from our nursery free of charge.

Careful preparation of your planting site is important and we recommend mixing your soil with compost and/or farmyard manure to give your trees the best start. It is also extremely important to plant using a tree stake and tie to support your tree in its first few years to avoid it blowing over until its roots have properly established as anchors in the ground.

We also stock a range of other specimen trees suitable for garden planting. These can be viewed on our trees page.

For more information on Hornbeam trees or for advice on any other trees or hedging, please call us on 01252 714552 to speak to one of our experts or email us on sales@hedgesonline.com.