good day folks,
i’ve bought a couple of the above mentioned hedges and would really appreciate your opinion on how close to plant them together to make an effective hedge.
they are already about nine feet tall.
many, many thanks in advance and all the best.
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners about your European hornbeam hedge. I am assuming that you have Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’, which is the most commonly purchased cultivar, and which grows to a height of 30-40’ and width of 20-30’ at maturity, with an oval, narrow habit. This tree is fairly slow growing, about 1-2’ each year. How far apart you plant your trees depends on how high you want your hedge to be (and how long you are prepared to wait for this additional growth in order to have an actual hedge). The rough guidance is to space your trees at about ½ of their final height, measured trunk centre to trunk centre. So as an example, if you want your hedge height to be about 20’, this means about 7 years of additional growth and spacing about 10’ apart. European hornbeam responds well to hard pruning in late summer to maintain the desired size.
Here is a link to the Toronto Master Gardeners tree planting guide which you might find helpful.
Good luck with your hornbeam hedge !