Copper Beech

Soils

Copper beech will grow on most soil types just as long as they are freely draining. Avoid dry or heavy clay soils.

Location

To keep its deep purple-coloured leaves, copper beech requires plenty of sunlight. Copper beech suffers during droughts and does not like wet ground.

Annual Growth Rate

Copper beech will grow at a rate of around 40cm per year

pH TOLERANCE

Prefers alkaline but will tolerate slightly acidic soil. Avoid planting into wet or dry ground.

Root Structure

Copper beech has a shallow, strong and dense, widely spreading root system. It is sensitive to disturbance or compaction of any kind.

Potential

Copper beech excels in calcareous soils and the leaves remain on the hedge throughout winter.

Annual Trimming

Always make a final trim of copper beech hedges in September which will maximise the dry-leaf retention during the winter months.

Characteristics

Copper beech hedge should be trimmed at a slight angle, wider at the bottom to allow light to shine onto the lower branches.

The deep rich purple leaf colour of copper beech hedges provide beautiful back drops for planting schemes, and for this reason it is very popular for garden and landscape design projects.

Copper beech, unlike the common green beech cannot tolerate a lot of shade. Copper beech needs sunlight to maintain the excellent deep purple leaf colour, so only short periods of light, dapple shade will be acceptable.

However, like the common green beech, copper beech also offer all-year round screening and privacy because its leave also dry brown and remain on the hedge throughout the winter months.

Tip: Both, common green and copper beech hedges are horse friendly and can therefore be safely used in paddocks for the containment of livestock.