The Columnar Purple Beech tree is a slender deciduous tree that grows 25 feet tall within 20 years, yet only 6 feet wide. Eventually it may be 50 feet tall and no more than 15 feet wide. It features bold foliage, colored purple-red in spring, turning dark burgundy-purple for the summer. The gray bark and lacy twigs are beautiful in winter. Fall colors are bronze and brown. This tree is a wonderful lawn specimen or accent plant, and it can also be planted in a row as a screen or to mark a boundary. A pair would accent an entrance perfectly.
- Plant Type: tree
- Growth Habit: columnar
- Foliage Type: deciduous
- Plant Height (10-year): 25 ft. 0 in. (7.62 meters)
- Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 6 ft. 0 in. (1.83 meters)
- Plant Height-Mature: 50 ft. 0 in. (15.24 meters)
- Plant Width-Mature: 15 ft. 0 in. (4.57 meters)
- Hardiness: USDA Zones 4 to 9
- Sun/Light Exposure: full sun to light or open shade
- Water Requirements: regular to occasional watering
This European beech can tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions from sand to clay as long as the drainage is adequate. Once established it only needs occasional watering during prolonged dry periods. It is a handsome specimen and should be provided enough space to fully develop. It rarely needs pruning to maintain its naturally graceful and majestic form and the thin, delicate bark can be easily injured. For these reasons, consult an experienced pruner or arborist before attempting to prune. Woolly aphids can be a minor problem, but sprays are not required since they do not jeopardize the tree’s vigor or health. Avoid planting near driveways or patios where the “honeydew” from the aphids can create sticky surfaces and the maturing roots can damage the pavement.
A strong vertical element in the landscape, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ (European Beech) is a magnificent, medium-sized, deciduous tree of columnar habit with broadly elliptic, lustrous, dark purple leaves. They emerge deep reddish-purple in spring and darken to burgundy purple as the season progresses. The smooth, pale gray bark is truly stunning in the winter landscape. In mid-late spring, small, inconspicuous, yellow-green flowers are on display. They are followed by bristly fruits which ripen in the fall. This purple-leaved European Beech makes a striking and beautiful specimen tree.
- Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
- Grows up to 25-50 ft. tall (7-15 m) and 6-15 ft. wide (2-5 m)
- A full sun or part shade lover, this plant is easily grown in deep, rich, moist, well-drained soils. Intolerant of wet, poorly drained soils.
- Perfect as a specimen plant or for hedges or screens.
- Low maintenance, this beautiful tree is not subject to serious insect or disease issues. Watch for aphids, Japanese beetles, caterpillars,
- Beech scale, coral spot and heart and root rot in mature trees. Deer resistant.
- Propagate by seed or grafting. Difficult to transplant
- Native to central and southern Europe