Perhaps the most beautiful of our large native trees, with elegant spreading branches and leaves which turn rich copper in autumn. The soaring pale grey trunk, reminiscent of the columns of an ancient cathedral, and the delicate tracery of branches make this a tree which looks handsome throughout the year. Beech makes one of the best garden hedges, fast-growing, but needing only one cut a year. Although deciduous, beech hedges retain their brown leaves through the winter before they are pushed off by the new leaves in spring.

Site and soil

Beech needs a well-drained soil, but can cope with the extremes of both chalky and acid sands. Avoid heavy, waterlogged soils. It does well in shade.

Height and spread

Below are the approximate stages of growth, assuming sited in suitable conditions for this species;

After 10 years: 4m x 4m
After 20 years: 14m x 7m

Leaf and bark

The leaves are oval and shiny, 1.5cm long. Young leaves are a pale, tender green and covered with silky hairs which gives a shimmering effect. They turn rich copper before leaf fall. The bark is a beautiful smooth pale grey.

Flower, seed and fruit

The flowers open alongside the young leaves in May in small clusters, the females near the tip of the shoots. The fruits (beech mast) ripen in autumn; the triangular nuts are enclosed within a spiky outer seed case.

Uses

Specimen tree. Beech makes one of the best, low maintenance garden hedges. In the past beech was pollarded for furniture making. The timber is used for furniture making, wood-turning and charcoal. In Europe, beech mast has been used to feed pigs and poultry, and in times of famine has been eaten by humans too. An edible oil has been made from the nuts. A liqueur, beech leaf noyeau, can be made from the young leaves.

Wildlife

Beech mast is an important food source for small mammals and birds. Both the leaves and the timber are rich in potash and help to enrich the soil.