Fagus sylvatica 2.5L 60-90cm

Fagus sylvatica (common beech) is a classic choice for dense, elegant hedging with fresh green foliage in spring and summer that often dries to a rich copper and can persist on the branches through winter, maintaining privacy and structure. It grows best in full sun or light shade on fertile, moist but welldrained soils, including those over chalk, and responds very well to clipping for neat, formal lines. In spring it bears inconspicuous catkin-like flowers, followed by beech nuts in autumn. Left untrimmed as a tree it can eventually reach around 2530m in height with a spread of 15m or more; as a hedge it is easily maintained much lower by regular trimming.

Feeding time: Mid-spring (April) with a light application of a general-purpose fertiliser if growth is weak. Trimming time: Late summer (August) for the main cut; optionally a light trim in June to keep very formal lines.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Full sun or light shade Rate of Growth: Moderate Soil: Moist but well-drained; fertile loam, sand or chalk; avoid waterlogged or very heavy clay Hardiness: Fully hardy Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Plant at a Glance

light:sun
light:light-shade
facing:east
facing:west
facing:north
facing:south
soiltype:moderate-fertile
soiltype:light-sandy
soiltype:chalky
soilmoisture:normal
foliage:deciduous
leafcolour:green
flowering:april
flowering:may
size:5m+
gardenstyle:formal
gardenstyle:architectural