(Beech)

(Japanese Beech)

(American Beech)

The American beech is one of the most distinctive and beautiful of the North American hardwood trees. It is a large, deciduous tree best known for its smooth, gray, elephantine bark that people can’t resist carving their initials into (sadly). When mature, it develops a shallow, spreading root system and broad canopy. Both are so dense it is difficult to successfully grow shade-loving annuals and perennials beneath. Native populations inhabit forests across the eastern half of North America, from...

(European Beech)

Native to much of Europe, this magnificent spreading deciduous tree is best known for its silver-gray bark, which is smooth and “elephantine.” Its glossy, elliptic, wavy-edged leaves are bright green when new, darker in summer, and rich bronze in autumn. Sometimes dry tawny brown leaves cling through winter, particularly on young trees. Inconspicuous flowers in spring are followed by small bristly capsules in late summer and fall, which contain one to three nuts. Although eagerly consumed by wildlife,...

(European Beech)

Cherished for its smooth gray bark, elegant deciduous foliage, stately habit, and adaptability, European beech has long been a garden favorite on its native continent and elsewhere. Introduced around 1800, the cultivar 'Asplenifolia' has slender lacy leaves that are often deeply lobed. Shimmering golden-green in spring, the leaves mature to rich green in summer. In autumn they turn shades of yellow, orange and bronze. Inconspicuous flowers in spring give rise to bristly capsules that ripen to tan...

(European Beech)

Cherished for its smooth gray bark, elegant deciduous foliage, stately habit, and adaptability, European beech has long been a garden favorite on its native continent and elsewhere. A densely branched, narrowly columnar selection that originated in Scotland sometime before 1850, 'Dawyck' forms a tall specimen several times higher than wide. The glossy, elliptic, wavy-edged leaves are luminescent light green when new, dark green in summer, and rich gold or bronze in autumn. Inconspicuous flowers in...

(Dawyck Gold European Beech, European Beech)

Cherished for its smooth gray bark, elegant deciduous foliage, stately habit, and adaptability, European beech has long been a garden favorite on its native continent and elsewhere. A seedling of 'Dawyck' that shares that cultivar's dense narrow columnar habit, 'Dawyck Gold' has bright golden spring leaves that deepen to yellowish green in summer. In autumn they turn shades of yellow, orange and bronze. Inconspicuous flowers in spring usually do not result in fruit. This cultivar is fastigiate when...

(European Beech)

Cherished for its smooth gray bark, elegant deciduous foliage, stately habit, and adaptability, European beech has long been a garden favorite on its native continent and elsewhere. A seedling of 'Dawyck' that shares that cultivar's narrow columnar habit, 'Dawyck Purple' has purple spring leaves that become green-tinged in summer. In autumn they turn shades of yellow, orange and bronze. Inconspicuous flowers in spring usually do not result in fruit. This cultivar is fastigiate when young but broadens...

(Copper Beech, European Beech, Purple Beech)

The copper beech is a stately slow-growing deciduous tree native to central Europe eastward into the Caucus Mountains. Bronze-purple leaves emerge in the spring and become a lustrous muted purple by summer and then a rich coppery-bronze in autumn.

This magnificent specimen tree with its smooth silver-gray bark is an excellent choice for use in large open areas. Adapted to a wide variety of soil types, copper beech performs best in acidic to neutral soils. This stately tree casts heavy shade and...

(European Beech)

Dwarf, naturally occurring forms of European Beech with twisted, gnarled, contorted branches, these trees are the stuff of haunted castles and griffins' lairs. Radiating from a stubby, crooked trunk, the zigzagging branches wander outward and downward, forming a domed crown. The glossy, elliptic, wavy-edged leaves are luminescent light green when new, dark green in summer, and rich gold or bronze in autumn. In winter, the gothic labyrinth of bare branches makes a striking sight. Inconspicuous flowers...