European beech vs Fastigiate hornbeam

It is not happy in the warm, dry lowland gardens of Central Europe: it belongs to cool, rainy hills and mountains, its leaves scorch in hot summers, it weakens in prolonged drought and is then attacked by bark and wood boring insects and fungi (mass beech dieback in forests has been recorded after drought years). Plant it only in a more humid, sheltered spot with moist soil, ideally where it can be watered; it is not advisable for dry, sun-baked lowland gardens. The thin bark burns on suddenly exposed trunks, it does not tolerate paving or compacted soil, it is slow to establish after transplanting and late frost can kill young shoots. Little else survives under its shallow, dense roots and deep shade. Aphids, scale and powdery mildew can occur.

In Central Europe the leaves of newly planted trees and of trees hemmed in by paving scorch and drop early in hot, dry summers, so water regularly in the first years. The dense, narrow-angled branches can splay and split under wet snow or freezing rain. Canker and stem dieback occur on weakened trees.