I’m officially excited. These kind of videos get me recharged for Spring. Thanks for always being a motivation and inspiring force. I love hornbeams. Wish I’d planted them rather than my floppy crape myrtle.
I LOVE that you’re giving us content we can’t easily find anywhere else! I need to see your garden in person some day! I’m so invested in your channel. ❤️
Thanks on the clarification on Lime/Linden. Reminds me of the story from MrMaple recommending horticultural lime for ginkgo trees, and a call from a customer asking about squeezing lime juice...
Fantastic that you can start to do some yard work. I saw my first Robin yesterday and the temperature was 7 degrees. Bring on the spring I’m so ready. Thanks for sharing 👍❤️😊
Thanks Erin! I’ve gone a little pruning happy on our indoor trees but didn’t know about going down to a bud that’s specifically outward facing. Totally makes sense!
This is the sort of hornbeam: Lucas is an upright form. Cut, cut, cut, the more you cut, the more the plants will grow. Best is, you catch every branch. If you want faster a hedge, you can plant some trees between the hornbeam. Maybe something with red leaves. Make a tapestry. Or wait and cut, cut, cut, and organic fertiliser. Cut even in the summer, if something sticks out. I learnd: cut a new plant hedge a third to half. You want the plants to branch out. I saw a lot of heges, with leggy stems, with holes and no fine branching, cause the owners think, they want fast a high hedge. Cut, cut, cut. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️
@@TheImpatientGardener Yes it is that easy - the harder you cut, the more it grows back (normally for every tree or shrub, that have the ability to grow back out of old wood) you have to be carefully with some conifers (except yew). I would cut the branches to third/half of the length and chopped off 50 cm of the top. Imagine a form (in your chase conical, 'cause of the cultivar) cut everything off, what sticks out of this form - topiary work this as well. You will get an eye for it. I cut very fast, shrubs, hedges, roses, trees, wisterias, fruit trees, everything. My rule of thumb, if I'm in doubt, should I cut or, should I go, I cut it off. If you don't cut some plants the get old very fast, don't rebloom and have weak stems, they couldn't cary blooms. By cutting you forced the plant to regenerate out of the stock (roses). I enjoy your videos very much. Love how you explain and how you garden!!!!
Thank you for this video, Erin. I'm currently at 13.46 so I don't know if you've mentioned this already but could you please show us, come summer, what this hedge looks like filled in? Could you maybe remember to mention or link back to this pruning video at that time? I would love to see a comparison of winter pruning look vs. full summer growth look. You know what I mean? Thank you.
I have a hornbeam hedge, I chose hornbeam because it grows quite fast and retains the leaves and I needed to sceeen off the neighbour’s garden (I didn’t want any arbovitae). Now, 12 years later I wish I’d chosen something else. Boy, it grows fast! I have to prune it twice a year, otherwise it would take up half of the garden (I have a small townhouse garden).
In the UK we’re all doing it. Our working class, terraced houses are all so close together it’s literally the only way to get instant privacy during an entire year of lockdowns, when you realise you’re just not as keen on your neighbour as you thought! 😒
Cant wait to see how this turns out, but you can basically make a hedge out of anything just keep the top lopped off and cut,cut,cut, keep it pruned through the season and the shape you want. Same as any other trimmed shrub the more you trim it the more it grows and the more you have to trim it, like 3-4 times a season.
It took me FOREVER to figure out that the Lime tree was also known as the linden or basswood in the Americas, a GREAT carving wood. I have a 5'x3'x3" block that's just hangin out waiting for me to carve. Meanwhile - I love some functional formal plantings that give structure, color, define spaces. Pleaching is cool. BUTTTTTTT I have not yet got out as you have. This weekend will be the start of something good. Warmest thoughts Jennie
Hi Erin, I am SOOO jealous. You're out there working in your garden and I need snow shoes to get about in my garden. I'm in zone 4 and we've had a ton of snow in the last couple of weeks (good for the water table) I planted European Beech three years ago for a hedge. I'm wondering why you choose the variety Lucas, they are more fastigiate than spreading so it'll be more work to fill in the hedge. I laughed when you said you hadn't the guts to prune severely, and I empathise. The plants I bought came in at about 24" high and I cut them down to about 12". It was very hard to be so brutal but the results are amazing. Hornbeam responds really well to severe pruning. I keep on pruning them severely twice a year so I have a full hedge right to the ground. My plan is to keep the hedge very narrow so it doesn't invade the border planted right next to it. Seems to be working. I was on a vacation in Europe a few years ago and saw how close together they planted Beech for hedges: about 6" apart. They prune the hedges severely and that gives them very full hedges with lots of young growth. With the young growth, the leaves stay on the trees until spring when the new leaves push the old ones off. Win Win situation - you have a full hedge all year round. Re: Pleaching. Why isn't it done more in North America? I'd love to hear from people who've done it. I've started to pleach with Toba Hawthorn with great success - until the Deer came and ate them. It was really frustrating. I am sort of back to square one. Need to be more vigilant.
Ok so I need to get out there and prune too! It’s actually going to be 50-60 degrees in Michigan so tomorrow is the day! I don’t always have the guts to cut either and now my crabapple is really out of control so wish me luck ☺️
Never heard of this method!! Was looking at planting a hornbeam on my property but I think I’m too warm. Maybe I can try in part shade, but also hate to waste the money if it won’t grow...🤷🏻♀️
“I’m not sure I have the guts to do it...” MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY whenever I prune anything! Even though I KNOW it’s necessary. 😂 I’m getting more brave. At least I pruning to get my plants to be the shape I prefer. If I cut off buds, so be it.
Another Hornbeam hedge(60 Meter along the fence) owner here from Europe 🙋 Another nice thing about this tree is, that it is resistent, so if you don't know how and when to cut it properly, it is ok, it will still survive and grow 😊 It grows at least 30cm a year, inexpensive, native here, so it is fairly popular. I have trained my hedge (started as tiny sticks) to grow straight up to give us instant privacy, from now I will cut the top and less the side, let it grow thick.
@@rachelhall4808 Don't worry! I typically bounce pretty well. :) In all seriousness, I've only had one pretty bad ladder incident, which is at least four fewer than Mr. Much More Patient. :)
Great vid. Thank you. May I ask anyone on here for what happens to the brown leaves when spring comes along? Good to remove? Better to leave? Thanks all.
Is the Lucas variety narrower than the Fran’s Fontaine? You mention it’s narrow at the start of your video, and I’m looking to get the most narrow option for our yard as I’ll be getting a few to plant in a row on the edge of our property. Would love to see another update in the coming seasons if you’re up for it!! Thanks!
I have scraped the internet trying to find information in regards to these trees (European Hornbeams) and thank god I found your videos. I planted 5 of them last year, 5 feet apart and want to eventually pleach them exactly like you talked about to block out a neighbour. Do you recommend fertilizing them? And I noticed my leaves fell off while yours remained, is that an issue? Thanks. Mike from Toronto
Very informative! I'm just curious as to why you didn't cut the lower branches off on the trunk. Didn't you say that you wanted some trunk(leg) to show? Maybe you only want a few inches?? Anyway thanks for the information!
Hey Erin, I have a very mature Redbud that gets beautiful flowers before the leaves comes out. I want to thin the canopy to provide a bit more sun around it. I don’t want to cut it now because I would be cutting off the flowers. I live in a zone 6 Ontario Canada. Can I prune it after it’s done flowering? If not why? Thanks, love your videos.
Hey - realized it is VERY hard to get European Hornbeam - which makes me wonder. When you are pruning - it that a good time to propagate hornbeam from the branch? Warm regards Jennie
I have a row of hornbeam trees I want to cut back to be more of a hedge. I have never trimmed them before because I didn’t know if I should. The trees are probably 8-10 years old. They are kind of hollow or empty of leaves in the middle. Is it a bad idea to prune these trees back now? Can I give them a hard prune?
It's not recommended to prune hornbeams (more than a little touch up) when they are actively growing because they "bleed sap." So hard pruning should wait until they are dormant.
Fabulous video, as always - thank you!! I love the idea of creating a hedge using the hornbeams & you’ve inspired me to try and replicate it. You mentioned you selected Lucas because it was all you had available. Just curious, ideally what cultivar would you have selected? I’m also in zone 5.
Do you have any suggestions for perennial flowering plants that do well in morning shade and afternoon sun? Trying to find something for the area behind my garage, which is west-facing, here in zone 7a?
Any kind of full sun plant would do great, but you want something that can handle or like drier conditions/ drought tolerant bc any south or west facing wall cooks
Decisions are being made there, Kathleen. The branching starts at different heights on the trees so the ones that have lower branches will have more trunk that the rest if I cut those. I just keep studying it. I have plenty of time for those kinds of decisions.
Not a great hedging plant if it goes almost bare in winter. No privacy or wind break for the garden. Enjoyed the video but need to look at other types of hedging.
Do get yourself an orchard ladder and you will be so much more stable and I won’t have to hold my breath cause I think you were way too close to falling off that ladder 🪜😱🤯
I'm happy to find this update. I planted three hornbeams in 2020 with the same concept in mind. I look forward to your future updates!
I’m officially excited. These kind of videos get me recharged for Spring. Thanks for always being a motivation and inspiring force. I love hornbeams. Wish I’d planted them rather than my floppy crape myrtle.
Here is a job for the weekend - LOL You are making Monty proud...
Nothing would make me happier. :)
Don’t know if it’s true but I read Gardeners World will be back with Monty Don this month on UK BBC. 🙏🏻
@@robinorcutt6822 Britbox will start broadcasting it in the US March 26
@@emmalavenham thanks so much! Been looking for that info for quite a while
I have never heard of “pleaching”. I like your idea of doing it naturally!
I LOVE that you’re giving us content we can’t easily find anywhere else! I need to see your garden in person some day! I’m so invested in your channel. ❤️
I love the sound of the clipping pruners I know I'm weird
i agree - i like that sound also
Oh, yes -- most satisfying!
I do too!
This so made me lol, me too
Thanks on the clarification on Lime/Linden. Reminds me of the story from MrMaple recommending horticultural lime for ginkgo trees, and a call from a customer asking about squeezing lime juice...
Oh dear!
This is on my to-do list this weekend too. Love those hornbeam. Great work!
Fascinating! I look forward to seeing the hedge again this year. Thanks so much.
Fantastic that you can start to do some yard work. I saw my first Robin yesterday and the temperature was 7 degrees. Bring on the spring I’m so ready. Thanks for sharing 👍❤️😊
Thanks Erin! I’ve gone a little pruning happy on our indoor trees but didn’t know about going down to a bud that’s specifically outward facing. Totally makes sense!
This is the sort of hornbeam: Lucas is an upright form. Cut, cut, cut, the more you cut, the more the plants will grow. Best is, you catch every branch. If you want faster a hedge, you can plant some trees between the hornbeam. Maybe something with red leaves. Make a tapestry. Or wait and cut, cut, cut, and organic fertiliser. Cut even in the summer, if something sticks out. I learnd: cut a new plant hedge a third to half. You want the plants to branch out. I saw a lot of heges, with leggy stems, with holes and no fine branching, cause the owners think, they want fast a high hedge. Cut, cut, cut. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️
Yep! Gotta embrace that “the more you cut the more it grows” mentality. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
@@TheImpatientGardener Yes it is that easy - the harder you cut, the more it grows back (normally for every tree or shrub, that have the ability to grow back out of old wood) you have to be carefully with some conifers (except yew). I would cut the branches to third/half of the length and chopped off 50 cm of the top. Imagine a form (in your chase conical, 'cause of the cultivar) cut everything off, what sticks out of this form - topiary work this as well. You will get an eye for it. I cut very fast, shrubs, hedges, roses, trees, wisterias, fruit trees, everything. My rule of thumb, if I'm in doubt, should I cut or, should I go, I cut it off. If you don't cut some plants the get old very fast, don't rebloom and have weak stems, they couldn't cary blooms. By cutting you forced the plant to regenerate out of the stock (roses).
I enjoy your videos very much. Love how you explain and how you garden!!!!
All your videos are very inspiring
I love the look of these, Thankyou for sharing so much detail , I never measure my plantings and I really should
Thank you Erin for a quite comprehensive vlog on pruning and pleaching! You are a daredevil BTW LOL :-)
Thank you for this video, Erin. I'm currently at 13.46 so I don't know if you've mentioned this already but could you please show us, come summer, what this hedge looks like filled in? Could you maybe remember to mention or link back to this pruning video at that time? I would love to see a comparison of winter pruning look vs. full summer growth look. You know what I mean? Thank you.
I sure will! Thanks for the suggestion.
This is so helpful thanks - I’ve just planted a bareroot hornbeam hedge in my garden for screening and looking forward to seeing it grow!
I have a hornbeam hedge, I chose hornbeam because it grows quite fast and retains the leaves and I needed to sceeen off the neighbour’s garden (I didn’t want any arbovitae). Now, 12 years later I wish I’d chosen something else. Boy, it grows fast! I have to prune it twice a year, otherwise it would take up half of the garden (I have a small townhouse garden).
In the UK we’re all doing it. Our working class, terraced houses are all so close together it’s literally the only way to get instant privacy during an entire year of lockdowns, when you realise you’re just not as keen on your neighbour as you thought! 😒
I bet! Neighbors are nice but so is a little distance.
Cant wait to see how this turns out, but you can basically make a hedge out of anything just keep the top lopped off and cut,cut,cut, keep it pruned through the season and the shape you want. Same as any other trimmed shrub the more you trim it the more it grows and the more you have to trim it, like 3-4 times a season.
It took me FOREVER to figure out that the Lime tree was also known as the linden or basswood in the Americas, a GREAT carving wood.
I have a 5'x3'x3" block that's just hangin out waiting for me to carve.
Meanwhile - I love some functional formal plantings that give structure, color, define spaces. Pleaching is cool. BUTTTTTTT I have not yet got out as you have. This weekend will be the start of something good.
Warmest thoughts
Jennie
I've never heard of bleaching look forward to updates this year.
Pleaching not bleaching !
Thanks for sharing! You are such an inspiration!
Hi Erin, I am SOOO jealous. You're out there working in your garden and I need snow shoes to get about in my garden. I'm in zone 4 and we've had a ton of snow in the last couple of weeks (good for the water table) I planted European Beech three years ago for a hedge. I'm wondering why you choose the variety Lucas, they are more fastigiate than spreading so it'll be more work to fill in the hedge.
I laughed when you said you hadn't the guts to prune severely, and I empathise. The plants I bought came in at about 24" high and I cut them down to about 12". It was very hard to be so brutal but the results are amazing. Hornbeam responds really well to severe pruning. I keep on pruning them severely twice a year so I have a full hedge right to the ground. My plan is to keep the hedge very narrow so it doesn't invade the border planted right next to it. Seems to be working. I was on a vacation in Europe a few years ago and saw how close together they planted Beech for hedges: about 6" apart. They prune the hedges severely and that gives them very full hedges with lots of young growth. With the young growth, the leaves stay on the trees until spring when the new leaves push the old ones off. Win Win situation - you have a full hedge all year round.
Re: Pleaching. Why isn't it done more in North America? I'd love to hear from people who've done it. I've started to pleach with Toba Hawthorn with great success - until the Deer came and ate them. It was really frustrating. I am sort of back to square one. Need to be more vigilant.
Great video tutorial Erin! I so worry about deer rutting your new trees during winter snow months!
Great tips, looking for something that grows in shade. Will need to research. Thanks!
Great information..thank you!
Ok so I need to get out there and prune too! It’s actually going to be 50-60 degrees in Michigan so tomorrow is the day! I don’t always have the guts to cut either and now my crabapple is really out of control so wish me luck ☺️
Thank you Erin💚🙃
I was hoping Amazon carried the Hornbeam seeds, no luck.
Never heard of this method!! Was looking at planting a hornbeam on my property but I think I’m too warm. Maybe I can try in part shade, but also hate to waste the money if it won’t grow...🤷🏻♀️
“I’m not sure I have the guts to do it...” MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY whenever I prune anything! Even though I KNOW it’s necessary. 😂 I’m getting more brave. At least I pruning to get my plants to be the shape I prefer. If I cut off buds, so be it.
Another Hornbeam hedge(60 Meter along the fence) owner here from Europe 🙋 Another nice thing about this tree is, that it is resistent, so if you don't know how and when to cut it properly, it is ok, it will still survive and grow 😊 It grows at least 30cm a year, inexpensive, native here, so it is fairly popular.
I have trained my hedge (started as tiny sticks) to grow straight up to give us instant privacy, from now I will cut the top and less the side, let it grow thick.
Thanks for commenting! I love to hear from you European hedge experts!
I was this days old when I learned that pleached Limes are actually Tillia’s and I’m from the UK!
I don’t know about the rest of you but Erin reaching those branches on that ladder made my heart pause 😬
“Oooooohhhh it’s very tippy”.
If I fall it's just more fodder for the end-of-the year blooper reel!
Right! Flashback to the attack of the container ring!
@@TheImpatientGardener girl! I don’t mind giggling a little but only if I know your ok! Please be careful!
@@rachelhall4808 Don't worry! I typically bounce pretty well. :) In all seriousness, I've only had one pretty bad ladder incident, which is at least four fewer than Mr. Much More Patient. :)
Great vid. Thank you. May I ask anyone on here for what happens to the brown leaves when spring comes along? Good to remove? Better to leave?
Thanks all.
Typically they fall off by then but either when when the new leaf buds start getting better the old leaves will fall off.
@@TheImpatientGardenerawesome thank you!
Is the Lucas variety narrower than the Fran’s Fontaine? You mention it’s narrow at the start of your video, and I’m looking to get the most narrow option for our yard as I’ll be getting a few to plant in a row on the edge of our property.
Would love to see another update in the coming seasons if you’re up for it!! Thanks!
Yes it is. I’d you want narrow, I think that’s the way to go if you can find it.
I have scraped the internet trying to find information in regards to these trees (European Hornbeams) and thank god I found your videos. I planted 5 of them last year, 5 feet apart and want to eventually pleach them exactly like you talked about to block out a neighbour. Do you recommend fertilizing them? And I noticed my leaves fell off while yours remained, is that an issue? Thanks.
Mike from Toronto
I like you! I really really do! And please tell us how your hornbeam hedge is doing in 2023, I'm SO interested
😊😊😊
Here you go: Dormant pruning espaliers and hornbeam hedge
ruclips.net/video/zZT1cPnWwKg/видео.html
Very informative! I'm just curious as to why you didn't cut the lower branches off on the trunk. Didn't you say that you wanted some trunk(leg) to show? Maybe you only want a few inches?? Anyway thanks for the information!
do hornbeam leaves turn a good red for a while?
Good heavens girl, you are so brave multi-tasking on a ladder, lol.
Hey Erin, I have a very mature Redbud that gets beautiful flowers before the leaves comes out. I want to thin the canopy to provide a bit more sun around it. I don’t want to cut it now because I would be cutting off the flowers. I live in a zone 6 Ontario Canada. Can I prune it after it’s done flowering? If not why? Thanks, love your videos.
Yep, that’s exactly the right time to do it!
Hey - realized it is VERY hard to get European Hornbeam - which makes me wonder. When you are pruning - it that a good time to propagate hornbeam from the branch?
Warm regards
Jennie
I have a row of hornbeam trees I want to cut back to be more of a hedge. I have never trimmed them before because I didn’t know if I should. The trees are probably 8-10 years old. They are kind of hollow or empty of leaves in the middle. Is it a bad idea to prune these trees back now? Can I give them a hard prune?
It's not recommended to prune hornbeams (more than a little touch up) when they are actively growing because they "bleed sap." So hard pruning should wait until they are dormant.
Fabulous video, as always - thank you!! I love the idea of creating a hedge using the hornbeams & you’ve inspired me to try and replicate it. You mentioned you selected Lucas because it was all you had available. Just curious, ideally what cultivar would you have selected? I’m also in zone 5.
I love ‘Frans Fontaine’
@@TheImpatientGardener many thanks for taking the time to respond! I truly respect your opinion & love your garden!
Do you have any suggestions for perennial flowering plants that do well in morning shade and afternoon sun? Trying to find something for the area behind my garage, which is west-facing, here in zone 7a?
Any kind of full sun plant would do great, but you want something that can handle or like drier conditions/ drought tolerant bc any south or west facing wall cooks
Cool !!!!
I was so worried you would fall!!
Jeepers, I really thought you were going to fall off that ladder. Mr. More Patient’s assistance in holding the ladder is needed 😀
He was cleaning my car at the time and I'd much rather have him do that!
@@TheImpatientGardener gotta prioritize, yes?
Do you have problems with Japanese Beetles eating your hedge?
They are terrible in our area. I try to avoid planting anything they like to devour.
If you want “legs”, why didn’t you prune away those lower branches. Great, informative video. Thanks!
Decisions are being made there, Kathleen. The branching starts at different heights on the trees so the ones that have lower branches will have more trunk that the rest if I cut those. I just keep studying it. I have plenty of time for those kinds of decisions.
you are beautiful and easy on the ear just think of the video as some one else
Not a great hedging plant if it goes almost bare in winter. No privacy or wind break for the garden. Enjoyed the video but need to look at other types of hedging.
Most years it holds its leaves until spring. I don't believe a hedge has to be evergreen and I quite like it but everyone has their own thoughts.
@@TheImpatientGardener cheers for the reply. Enjoy your day 👍
Do get yourself an orchard ladder and you will be so much more stable and I won’t have to hold my breath cause I think you were way too close to falling off that ladder 🪜😱🤯