Is an eastern hophornbeam (ironwood) a good tree to plant in Indiana?
Eastern Hophornbeam (Ironwood) can work here, with caveats. Native and frequent in central Indiana upland woods and fencerows, so most of the ones tree services touch predate the subdivision around them. It is rarely planted deliberately because it grows too slowly to be profitable in a nursery.
What you'd be signing up to clean up
Papery, inflated seed sacs in hop-like clusters shed from late summer into fall, blow across lawns and drives, and pile against foundations; catkins add a brief spring mess. Leaf litter is small and light and the tree drops very little deadwood, so annual cleanup is minor.
Where to keep it away from
Morton lists it as difficult to transplant and slow to establish; budget two to three seasons before a new one puts on visible growth, and specify spring-dug B&B over bare root. Forest Service silvics gives no rooting-habit description for the species, so treat specific root-depth claims with caution — what is established is that it takes up road salt readily and holds ground well on dry, gravelly upland slopes.
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