Fagus sylvatica Atropunicea

Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea', also known as the Purple Beech, is a beautiful tree often used as a hedge because it responds well to pruning and offers a very dense marcescent foliage, which remains on the branches until the following spring, when new leaves appear. These leaves are chocolate purple, oval to ovoid, and turn a coppery red hue in autumn. Depending on your budget, the length of your hedge, your patience, and the time you can dedicate to gardening, different types of products are available to you.

- For an economical purple beech hedge, choose 9 cm pots that can be planted all year round, or opt for bare-root plants for autumn or winter planting. Soil preparation should be meticulous (careful weeding, removal of all roots, planting trench), and it is advisable to place a tarpaulin at the base of the shrubs to limit the germination of weeds until they establish themselves. Once established, they grow rapidly and will quickly catch up with their counterparts grown in pots. This is the most economical solution when it comes to creating a hedge of at least 10 metres in length.

- For a fast-growing purple beech hedge or to fill in an existing hedge, choose 2-litre or even 5-litre potted shrubs. Potted shrubs can be planted all year round, except during periods of frost or heatwaves. They should be planted in individual planting holes, like all other shrubs in the garden. While they have an immediate impact, they take a little longer to "take off" and will require more frequent and regular watering, especially when the summer is dry.

Respect the proper planting distance according to the size of your plant! Allow 60 cm of space between each plant for shrubs in pots and bare roots, 70 to 80 cm for plants in 2 or 3-litre pots, and 80 cm to 1 m for pots from 4 to 10 litres.

Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea' is an imposing tree with a semi-spreading habit. If left unpruned, it can reach a height of 20 to 25 m and a width of 10 to 15 m. Its cylindrical trunk can measure up to 3 m in diameter and is covered with a smooth, light gray bark. This tree can live for several centuries. Native to central Europe and the Caucasus, the European Beech is one of the most common species in European forests. 

Its marcescent foliage is very dense. It consists of alternate and elliptical leaves measuring 4 to 10 cm in length. The leaf edges are wany and hairy. They have 5 to 9 pairs of lateral veins. *They are marcescent, meaning they dry out while remaining on the tree until the following spring when new leaves appear.

The monoecious flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves, from April to May. The yellow male flowers are grouped in pendulous catkins measuring 40 to 60 mm. The green female flowers are grouped in pairs or fours at the ends of the branches. Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea' produces fruits called beech nuts, which are shiny brown and covered with bristly prickles. These fruits, measuring 12 to 18 mm in length, are edible in small quantities. Mountain dwellers used to use them to make flour. It is used as a hedge because it responds well to pruning. Its reddish wood is used in cabinetmaking and for the production of wooden tools and toys, as well as firewood.