Plants We Love: European beech

February 7, 2012 – 10:52 am | 2 Comments

Virtues: We love ‘Lizzano’ and ‘Terenzo’ tomatoes for their tasty fruit, high yield, disease resistance and their growing habit. Both are cherry tomatoes with a compact size that makes them perfect for containers or small …

Read the full story »

Create Your Dream Garden

Sign up for Horticulture's weekly Smart Gardening eNewsletter and get a FREE six-month subscription to
Garden Logic's online garden design program!

Horticulture

SAVE 58%

Current Issue »

Weekly Tips

Get Smart Gardening tips and advice right here, right now.

Plants

Grow edibles and ornamentals successfully—here's how.

Regions

Find region-specific gardening info here.

Gardening Blogs

Connect with Team Horticulture and The Landless Gardener.

Gardens/Gardeners

Visit private gardens and meet the gardeners who grow them.

Home » Plants We Love

Submitted by mgodfrey on November 11, 2008 – 12:11 amNo Comment

Plant name: European beech

Botanical name: Fagus sylvatica

Virtues: Elegant shape and majestic size. Offers interest all year.

Flower: Nondescript.

Foliage: Arrow-shaped leaves appear silvery green in spring, deep green in summer and golden brown in fall. Leaves sometimes remain on the tree over the winter.

Habit: Deciduous tree forming a rounded pyramid to 60 feet tall and 45 feet wide, with lower limbs that sweep the ground.

Season: All seasons. Looks especially interesting in winter, with its remaining leaves turning warm shades and its smooth gray bark.

Origin: Central Europe.

Cultivation: Full sun to partial shade. Moist, well-drained, acid soil. Tolerates drought. Can be pruned as a hedge or have its lower limbs removed to show off trunk. USDA Zones 5–8.

Read about using European beech as a hedge.