Confused - purple beech hedge vs tree

NoSlugsPlease · August 2023

I am thinking of planting a short purple beech hedge to screen off an unattractive bit of equipment in the garden and would also like to have a single purple beech tree at the far end of the garden.

Having looked at a few suppliers' websites, I still can't tell if beech sold as hedging plants are just the same as those sold as trees, or if they have been shaped/grown differently. Basically, can I buy a few beech plants from a hedging plant supplier and just allow 1 of them to grow into a tree?

Thank you.

Dovefromabove · August 2023

Yes. They’re the same plant and if you buy them as barefoot whips this autumn (ie. they’ve not been cut back at the top to encourage bushy growth) then they’ll all grow into fine trees if you let them … so (with all the caveats of ‘if you have room, it’ll be huge and nothing will grow in the shade beneath it) you can choose the best, plant it at the end and allow it to grow on into a tree.

When the others reach the height you want they can be topped and trimmed as a hedge
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-beech-fagus-sylvatica/

Bareroot whips are by far the cheapest way to grow a hedge and they’ll establish really quickly.

NoSlugsPlease · August 2023

Thanks for the explanation, @Dovefromabove . I knew it was a silly question but couldn't figure out why they were sold on different websites as hedging plants vs trees.

Dovefromabove · August 2023

If you buy them as bigger plants they may well have been cut back so they’ll not make as fine trees as if they hadn’t (if you get me)! But buying them as whips should be fine … and much cheaper 😊

Confused - purple beech hedge vs tree

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