Fagus syl. Purpurea Readybag

Description

Purple Beech (Fagus syl. Purpurea)

Fagus syl. Purpurea – Instant hedge is also sometimes mistakenly called Copper Beech. It gets called copper Beech from the glorious warm burnished copper colour that the leaves go in the Autumn and Winter. Where the true copper beech is a more green purple in leaf colour rather than the glorious deep purple that Purple Beech shows.  These leaves stay on the plant until the new seasons leaves push the old ones off.  The leaves come out in the spring a beautiful pale red.

Purple Beech has historically  been a very popular garden hedge plant.  Purple Beech is a hardy plant and is happiest in a light to medium soil and it is best to avoid really heavy clay soils and also wet soil or soils that stay wet for prolonged periods of time.

As with all plants with a solid leaf colour if they are planted in shade these leaves will fade in their intensity and be more muted. Purple Beech (Fagus syl. Purpurea) instant hedge can be trimmed into a very formal hedge that will make a great structural statement in the garden.

The Royal Horticultural Society gave Purple Beech an Award of Garden Merit in 1984.