With its dense, lush green foliage that turns golden yellow and rusty red in autumn, the massive, light gray trunk and the broad crown is the European beech (Fagus sylvatica) an ideal specimen tree, but it can also be used as a hedge to be cultivated. In addition to the mighty wild form with its sweeping crown, there are a number of smaller varieties different shades of foliage and narrow or hanging habit, which is also suitable for smaller gardens suitable.
The dense crown of oval, pointed, sometimes slightly toothed leaves casts a cool, dark shadow, which is why the tree is difficult to plant under. In a few years the inconspicuous flowers develop into numerous woody, prickly fruit shells, each with two triangular fruits, the beechnuts, which many animals serve as food.
The common beech is the most important deciduous tree in Europe. The tree, which is up to 40m high, has a broad crown and a mighty gray trunk. The leaves are slightly wavy at the edge and are initially light green, later dark green and, in autumn, bright yellow and rusty red. `Pendula`, the weeping beech, shows an umbrella-shaped crown with hanging or horizontal branches and hanging ones Side branches, `Purpurea`, the copper beech, are just as impressive as` Purpurea Pendula`, the weeping blood beech, which is up to 3m high achieved.
care
Beeches don't thrive at all too heavy, waterlogged soils. Young trees are planted in open, sunny locations from mid-autumn to the beginning of spring.
Planting hedges one with 45cm high trees at a distance of 45-60cm. After planting, the upper quarter of all shoots are cut back to encourage side shoots, this one cut is repeated in the late summer of the following years.
Pests and diseases
Beeches can be attacked by numerous diseases and pests. Aphids and beech scale insects form white coverings. Various fungi settle on dead wood parts, then spread to the living wood tissue and cause canker sores and decay there. Dead wood should therefore be removed as soon as possible. Frost damage is mainly shown by the brown color of the leaves and stunted growth of the young shoots. A burning of the foliage by the sun is particularly evident in spring with purple varieties. The leaves turn brown, especially at the edge, curl up and wither.
The cut of the hornbeam hedge and the red beech hedge
- Before you reach for the scissors, you should identify your “beech” exactly, because the cut both have fundamentally different requirements:
- If your hedge consists of hornbeam, it is best to cut at the beginning and at the end of the season, the very vigorous wood will respond to the double cut with dense branching.
- The first cut is very late in the season. June, because from about this point in time during plant development there is no longer any production new cells is in the foreground, but rather the completion of the new ones brought forth in the spring Shoots.
- At this time you can easily do the main pruning of the hornbeam, you no longer have to worry about disturbing birds while they are breeding and you will not stimulate your hornbeam to such a hectic budding activity as you would expect from an earlier cut would.
- If you prune the second time between late September and early November, it just goes around beautiful shape design that thins the hedge at the same time and gives you strength for the next one Spring shoots.
- A beech hedge, on the other hand, should let you reach for scissors very early: the basic cut should be carried out before budding, because this is the time when the common beech is best to seal off the wounds can.
- You can then easily see the basic structure of the hedge because the hedge is still very weakly leafy.
Characteristics
- Type / family: wood. Belongs to the beech family (Fagaceae)
- Maintenance effort: low. Easy-care
- Flowering period: May with inconspicuous flowers, then fruit formation (the well-known beechnuts)
- Foliage: Dried leaves stick for a long time, therefore good privacy protection even in winter
- Growth: stiffly upright
- Height / width: growing freely up to 30m high with approx. 15m diameter crown, but easy to keep low with the cut
- Location: Grows everywhere, can also tolerate shade. Cope well with normal garden soil
- Planting time: Do not plant before November as they will grow until the beginning of November. Can be planted in the winter months when the ground is not frozen
- Cut: Very cut compatible
- Partner: Solitaire
- Care If it is dry, especially water small specimens and / or potted plants. Is grateful for organic fertilizers in spring
- Overwintering: Newly set plants need protection with fleece in the first winter. Rooted specimens are absolutely hardy
- Diseases / Problems: Very sensitive to transplanting
particularities
It is at home in Central Europe and can often be admired in the wild
Heavy pollen count from April to May
Can also be grown as a high trunk or as a hedge
Can also be kept well in the bucket with regular pruning
variety
`Purpurea: Best known and most popular variety. Delighted in spring with spectacular new shoots in bright geranium red. In the course of early summer, the color becomes a little darker to purple-red
What to do?
Well, now you've bought a small copper beech or got it from someone and don't know where to go.
If you have a huge garden, you can plant it as a solitary; Over the years it becomes a venerable old tree that exudes calm and dignity, under which a bench promises a lot of relaxation.
But even those who only have a normal-sized home garden need not do without this wonderful plant. The European beech is very easy on pruning and can be used as a hedge by pruning. And even as a tall trunk, it cuts a very good figure.
Robust and sensitive
The common beech is very robust and can be used almost anywhere. Whether sun, partial shade or even shade and whatever the soil: it makes it! And yet she is a little sensitive when it comes to the subject of transplanting, because she doesn't like that at all. You should therefore only implement them if there is no other way and then you have to reckon with losses. European beeches feel shocked even when they are planted out and need a good winter cover with fleece in the first year. Since they are in the sensitive growth phase until the beginning of November, they should not be planted until after November.
European beeches often react to ground vibrations such as during construction work and the sinking of the groundwater level by stopping growth