CARPINUS BETULUS LUCAS

Carpinus betulus 'Lucas' is a narrowly columnar hornbeam valued for its tight, upright crown and dense foliage. Deciduous leaves emerge fresh green and take on yellow autumn tones, giving reliable seasonal interest. It is well suited to Irish gardens, thriving in full sun or light shade on fertile, moist but well-drained soils, including clay, loam, sand or chalk, and it is fully hardy and suitable for exposed sites. Its naturally slim habit makes it an excellent choice where space is limited, for avenues, structured planting and screening, and it responds well to pruning to maintain a very formal outline.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Full sun or light shade

Rate of Growth: Moderate

Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained; chalk, clay, loam or sand; acid to alkaline

Hardiness: Fully hardy

Plant at a Glance