Tricolor European Beech

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: winter.

This is the ideal purple-pink Beech for smaller city lots. Use it for shade, along an entry drive or as a street tree. Very cold hardy, the Beech can be both an accent among evergreens or planted in a grove and its color will be perceptible from a distance. Majestic and well formed, it's a great front-yard statement for larger homesites with traditional architecture.

Plant with moderately sized garden trees that can use a bit of year-long color. Use with flowering trees such as O'Neill Red Horse Chestnut (Aesculus x carnea 'O'Neill Red') with its bright red blooms, the beautiful Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana), the smaller Royal Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star') and Golden Chain Tree (Laburnum x Watereri 'Vossii') with its drooping clusters of yellow flowers. Underneath try native Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus).

This vividly colored tree was introduced in 1888. Its ancestry includes the copper beech which explains its rich bronze coloring. The genus was classified by Linnaeus under its ancient European Latin name, fagus, which includes about ten cultivated species and innumerable varieties and clones. Its primary ancestor, A. sylvatic is a forest tree native to central and southern Europe, which was introduced into North American in colonial times.

In ancient Britain, many beech trees were pollarded to create a crop of straight poles out of reach of deer.