The wood is heavy and hard and is used for tools and building constructions. It also burns hot and slowly, making it very suitable for firewood. This was the reason for lopping and hence indirectly the saving of Epping Forest, where the hornbeam was a favored pollarding tree.
Hornbeam was frequently coppiced and pollarded in the past in England. It is still infrequently managed using these traditional methods, but mainly for non-commercial conservation purposes. As a woodland tree traditionally managed in this way, it is particularly frequent in the ancient woodlands of south Essex, Hertfordshire, and north Kent where it typically occupies more than half of most ancient woods and wood pastures.
Because it stands up well to cutting back and has dense foliage, it has been much used in landscape gardening, mainly as tall hedges and for topiary. It was the classic tree used in French formal gardens for hedges in bosquets, as in the Gardens of Versailles, and in their English equivalent, the garden wilderness.
The leaves provide food for some animals, including Lepidoptera such as the case-bearer moth Coleophora anatipennella.
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Hardiness | |
| Heat Zones | |
| Climate Zones | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Plant Type | Trees |
| Plant Family | Betulaceae |
| Exposure | Full Sun, Partial Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring, Fall |
| Height | |
| Spread | |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Maintenance | Average |
| Soil Type | |
| Characteristics | |
| Garden Styles | |
| Planting Place | |