Beeches can live for up to 200 years, making this a tree of choice to plant in a garden that will see generations of family! Fagus sylvatica offers a lush foliage of green leaves that have an elliptical shape with a corrugated face. The leaves turn to a beautiful bronze and yellow in autumn. The leaves hold well and many will remain on the tree throughout the winter, until the fresh spring foliage appears. Autumn also brings fruit called beech masts which are attractive to birdlife and wildlife, especially squirrels and deer. Fagus sylvatica is a fully hardy tree that enjoys full sun or semi-shade. It will tolerate most soil types and grows well in lime and alkaline soils. It is suited for a variety of conditions including polluted urban sites but won’t grow well in very cold areas. Birch trees are very versatile and responds well to pruning. By planting many close together in a row and pruning to a lower height, you can create an attractive and dense, fast growing hedge, ideal for privacy in an urban garden. The tree can stand alone as a smaller shrub or be allowed to flourish as a full tree to heights up to 25m with a bell-shape habit. It makes a great choice for parkland or woodland planting. The Beech is often considered to be the Queen of trees, while the Oak is King. The universal art of divining, used to find water wells, metals, gemstones and even unmarked graves, traditionally uses Y-shaped or L-shaped branches taken from the Beech tree.
