Colorful Garden Chat Picture Thread

Although the hornbeam (in Latin: Carpinus betulus) is a very common hedge plant, its name is somewhat confusing because the hornbeam does not belong to the beech family. It is actually related to the birch. Nevertheless, hornbeams and beech hedges have a similar appearance. In contrast to the beech, the hornbeam is much more robust and can therefore grow well in almost all garden soils. For this reason, the hornbeam is often used as an alternative to the beech when garden conditions are somewhat less favorable. In addition, hornbeams are almost evergreen, as their brown leaves only fall off again when the fresh green leaves appear in spring and then push away the old leaves.

Advantages:

Especially robust and almost evergreen
Low maintenance and tolerant to pruning
Good frost hardiness and adaptability
Disadvantages:

Does not tolerate waterlogging
May lose some leaves (only at very low temperatures in winter)

I copied this from an article by a plant dealer; this is exactly how our hornbeam hedge behaves.

In winter opaque and supporting native fauna is by the way also the firethorn.

And - for completeness - here is a copy from a blog on a hedge plant page:

The European Beech
When cut like a hedge, the European Beech is called a beech hedge. The European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) has green leaves. The Fagus sylvatica 'Atropurpurea' or copper beech, on the other hand, has red leaves. Both have large, shiny, and smooth leaves with slightly wavy edges. In autumn, the leaves first turn yellow to orange and then brown. These leaves are not shed until spring. Only then are the leaves of the previous year replaced by new shoots. These plants belong to the beech family (Fagaceae).

The Hornbeam
The hornbeam belongs to the birch family (Betulaceae) and is therefore not related to the European beech. This is also clearly visible from the leaves. The hornbeam’s leaves have a toothed edge and pronounced veins. The leaves also turn yellow in autumn and fall off, so there are no dried brown leaves visible in winter.
An advantage of the hornbeam is that it sprouts earlier in spring than the European beech. The hornbeam is also less picky about soil. It grows on almost all soils, and even moist soils do not cause it any problems.

This is how our European beech and my parents’ hornbeam behave. I know the different contributions, it probably also always has something to do with differences in location?!

Now my confusion is complete... :D

Mine too. I have now read on various sites and everywhere there are contradictory statements. Often it says that beech and hornbeam keep their leaves for a similarly long time, elsewhere it says that the hornbeam drops everything immediately in autumn. We bought a hornbeam (a real tree, not a small hedge plant) 3 weeks ago and it still has the brown leaves hanging on it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A mystery :D

We bought a hornbeam (a real tree, not a small hedge plant) three weeks ago and it still has the brown leaves ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We still have a beautiful copper beech standard tree :D