Fagus sylvatica Atropurea

Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropurpurea’, commonly known as copper beech, makes a superb formal hedge with deep purple foliage in spring and summer that turns rich copper tones in autumn. When clipped, the dry russet-brown leaves are often retained through winter, giving valuable screening until fresh growth pushes them off in mid-spring. Suited to full sun or light shade and moist but well-drained, fertile soils (including chalk), it forms a dense, easily maintained boundary typically 13m high; if left untrimmed it can eventually reach about 30m tall, while a maintained hedge usually matures to around 11.5m in thickness.

Feeding time: Spring Trimming time: Late summer (August)

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; tolerant of chalk 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:chalky
soilmoisture:normal
foliage:deciduous
leafcolour:purple
flowering:april
flowering:may
size:5m+
gardenstyle:formal
gardenstyle:architectural