Frans Fontaine Hornbeams Holding Their Leaves - Winter 2023 - December 2023

I most-recently posted about the hedge of columnar Frans Fontaine European Hornbeam trees in our yard earlier this Fall in September of 2023. I covered how they had grown over the years and documented the full-Summer foliage. These trees are so interesting - their growth habit is the thing that gets most people's attention. But...their continued marcescence - or holding their leaves late into Winter - is really a big part of the 'why' any homeowner would want these trees in their yard. They are decidious, so they naturally drop their leaves, which leads to people buying A LOT of Green Giant Thujas and common Arborvitaes to provide screening - they are evergreens. But our Hornbeams provide that 'evergreen' look well past when most trees drop their leaves. Below, is a photo showing the current state - early December - of our Hornbeams. These are five years old. You can see plenty of yellow leaves at their feet, but pay attention to all the green foliage STILL