Hedge problem

[SG1968]

Hi there. I’m not a great gardener- just about managing to keep things tidy. We have noticed our hornbeam (I think) hedge is not doing well - sections are dying off . I was wondering what the growths on the stems are? The leaves are ok. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

It's difficult to see in the picture. Is the bark splitting? If so it may be fireblight.

Many thanks

The grey stuff looks like lichen, and the leaves are wrong for a hornbeam. It could be suffering a bit from canker though, and there seems to be some black mould? Maybe spray with some fungicide and feed the hedge with growmore or similar.

Agree that it is not Hornbeam - to me it looks like a species of Viburnum and, yes, the grey on the branches resembles lichen which is actually an indicator of good air quality and is harmless

Many thanks for your suggestions.