Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Common Beech, European Beech

Description:

An incredible accent tree with smooth gray bark and cascading branches; glossy burgundy leaves in spring turn to green; leaves are coppery in fall; a most stately specimen;particular about growing conditions, requires rich soil and moisture; smaller beech

Ornamental Features

Purple Fountain Beech is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive deep purple deciduous foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. The serrated pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding coppery-bronze in the fall. The smooth silver bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Purple Fountain Beech is a dense deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Purple Fountain Beech is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Purple Fountain Beech will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 120 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.