Green Beech Hedging Plants
Fagus Sylvatica, ‘Common Beech’
In the realm of landscaping and garden design, the beech hedge, scientifically known as Fagus sylvatica, stands as an enduring emblem of elegance, privacy, and natural beauty. With its distinct characteristics and versatile appeal, the green beech hedge has graced landscapes for centuries, captivating both seasoned horticulturists and gardening enthusiasts alike.
Fagus sylvatica, commonly referred to as Green Beech, is a deciduous tree native to Europe. Its popularity as a hedging plant arises from its exceptional attributes, including its vibrant green leaves, smooth grey bark, and remarkable tolerance for pruning and shaping. These qualities make it a favoured choice for formal gardens, property boundaries, and avenues. For more information about Green Beech Hedging plants please scroll further down the page.
If you are looking for a splash of contrast? Why not view our Purple Beech Species Guide create a colourful mixed boundary.
For an in-depth look at optimal soil conditions, read our complete Green Beech Species Guide.
Is a Green Beech hedge evergreen?
Green beech is not evergreen but deciduous with leaves that turn a copper/ brown colour in Autumn. However, unlike other deciduous plants, green beech holds on to many of these copper coloured leaves throughout the autumn and winter months, until they are replaced by new leaf growth coming through in the spring.
Does Green Beech make a good hedge?
Because beech holds onto its leaves in autumn, it continues to offer privacy, shelter and interest all year-round. Beech is well suited to both formal and informal garden settings, is easy to maintain and enjoys most growing conditions, making it an excellent choice of hedge.
How long does it take for a beech hedge to establish?
This will depend on several factors such as whether you are planting individual plants or a pre-grown hedge, the size of the plants, the soil conditions, to name a few. Generally, roots will begin to establish within the first 2 years and by years 3 to 4, the hedge will have grown significantly and become more dense. By the fifth year of planting the hedge will be well-established, providing effective privacy, windbreak, and aesthetic value.
What is the growth rate of a green beech hedge?
Green beech grows relatively quickly, at around 30-60 cm per year. This means they will establish to create a hedge reasonably quickly compared to slower growing species. .
What is the longevity of a green beech hedge?Â
Green beech hedges can live for many years, often thriving for decades with proper care and maintenance, making them a fantastic long-term investment for any garden.
When is the best time of year to plant a beech hedge?
At Hedging UK we sell container grown beech plants and instant pre grown beech hedges. Container grown hedge plants can be planted all year round, although they are easier to keep watered if planted in the Autumn, Winter or Spring. If you are planting bare root beech plants, it is best to do so when the plants are dormant, during the months October to February.
How do you prepare the ground for hedge planting?
First clear away any grass, weeds or debris from the area you wish to plant your hedge, as these will compete for water and nutrients within the soil and may prevent your hedge from establishing quickly. Next, you should use a string line to mark where you wish your hedge to grow and to ensure it grows straight and then dig a trench about 60cm wide by 30cm deep. For more information on Planting a Beech Hedge please look at our guide.
Best place to plant a beech hedge
Choosing the right location for your beech hedge will give it the best possible start, especially if you want it to be established quickly. Beech hedges prefer to grow in sun or partial shade. They will grow in a variety of soil types such as clay, loam and sandy soils as long as it drains well, as this will ensure the roots do not get waterlogged and rot. If you are planting a boundary hedge, ensure you plant it about 90cm from the boundary line, to ensure the hedge, once fully grown, does not overreach the boundary and cause a dispute.
How many beech hedge plants per metre?
Plant distancing will vary from between 30-60cm depending on the size of the plants and how long you are prepared to wait until you have a hedge at the desired height and density. If you want to establish a dense hedge more quickly, then you may wish to plant the beech plants a little closer to each other, although it is important to ensure light can reach and air can circulate each plant.
If you want to establish a hedge of more than 90cm in thickness, plant two rows in a staggered pattern, spacing the rows 45 cm apart, and position each plant 90 cm from the next one. For more information on beech hedge plant spacing please refer to our guide.
How and when to trim a beech hedge
Pruning your beech hedge is important to maintain its health and appearance and only needs to be done once a year. This will promote growth and density and ensure good air circulation around the branches, to keep pests and disease at bay.
For newly planted hedges, you do not need to do any pruning for the first few years, unless branches are sparse. In such cases you should trim the leading shoot by one third, to encourage outward growth rather than upward growth. The best time of year to do this is in winter, or just after planting and should be repeated the second year, if more encouragement is required.
For established hedges, trim annually in August, as this will encourage the hedge to retain any new leaf growth when they turn brown in the autumn. This will ensure the hedge keeps its autumnal leaves until new leaves unfurl the following spring, thereby maintaining structure and privacy screening all year round. For more information on trimming a beech hedge please refer to our guide.
How much can you cut back a beech hedge
Beech hedging responds well to pruning and can be cut back hard if overgrown. However, it is better to stagger hard pruning over a couple of years, concentrating on pruning one side of the hedge and the top in year one, and then the other side in year two. If regrowth is slow after the first year’s hard prune, leave further pruning for another year.
Growing Advice
- Deciduous Tree. Will hold some leaves over winter and into Spring.
- Features: Versatile, Impressive green foliaged hedge, Leaves turn copper in winter
- Growth rate: 30-60cm (1-2 foot) per year
- Likes: full sun or partial shade
- Suitable for Hedges: 1m – 5m+ (3 – 16 foot+)
- Soil Preference: Moist well drained soils
- Green Beech Hedge Planting Distances: 3 – 5 plants per metre single row or 5 – 7 plants per metre staggered double row
- Unsuitable for: Heavy clay or waterlogged soil. We recommend Hornbeam, which thrives in damp conditions.
- Trimming: Late Summer
Further Info
Green Beech / Fagus Sylvatica Description
One of the most enchanting features of the green beech hedge is its striking foliage. In spring, fresh leaves unfurl in delicate, translucent shades of green, creating a soft and inviting atmosphere. As summer arrives, the leaves deepen into a rich emerald hue, providing a lush backdrop to any landscape. Autumn, however, is when the beech hedge truly shines. The leaves transform into a breath-taking palette of copper and gold, infusing the garden with warmth and splendour.
Beyond its aesthetic allure, Fagus sylvatica boasts practical benefits that make it a cherished hedging option. Its dense growth and intricate branching structure create an effective screen, ensuring privacy and seclusion for outdoor spaces. Furthermore, its tolerance for regular pruning allows gardeners to sculpt the hedge into various shapes, from classic rectangular forms to intricate topiaries, adding an artistic touch to the landscape.
Green Beech is an excellent choice for a formal, native hedge tolerant of exposed conditions. For soils prone to drought or heavy clay, waterlogged soils, Hornbeam hedges are a more suitable alternative.
Types of Green Beech Hedging grown and supplied by Hedging UK
We grow Green Beech hedging plants on our nursey in 2 different ways. We grow them as individual rootballed hedging plants available at around 150-180cm. These plants are freshly lifted to order in the Autumn through to Early Spring. Rootballed plants are lifted with a special machine that lifts the roots from the ground with a ball of soil. This ball it tightly wrapped in hessian or jute to hold the ball together for planting. Rootballed plants are a cost-effective option but do have a higher chance of failure compared to potted plants as the roots have been chopped in order to lift them. We also grow Green Beech as an Instant hedge in 90L troughs each measuring 1 metre in length. Available at different heights throughout the year. Each trough contains a specific number of plants that have been grown together in a pot with the roots interwoven and the tops trimmed to form into a hedge. The instant hedges are sold as a block of hedge 1 metre wide, meaning that if your hedge is to be 10 metres long then you require 10 instant hedges.
Advantages of a Green Beech Hedge
- Has a moderate growth rate of 30-60cm per year making them easy to maintain.
- Leaves are retained throughout the Winter and turn an interesting copper colour, classing beech hedges as semi evergreen for providing some cover during the Winter months.
- Fresh new green foliage produced every Spring. With older copper coloured leave being replaced with fresh green foliage.
- Native hedging to the UK. Well suited to the UK climate and conditions.
- Wildlife Friendly: Beech hedges provide food and shelter for wildlife with edible nuts providing food and dense foliage providing protection from the elements and predators.
- Green Beech are suitably hardy for UK cold snaps being hardy down to around -15 degrees centigrade.
- Beech hedges are easy to maintain. Can be pruned with hedge trimmers and generally only require one trim / prune per year.
Beech Growing conditions and planting.
Green Beech grows well in most of the UK. It is best suited to moist but well drained soils and locations that receive full sun or partial shade. Beech do not like very wet soils and are not really suitable for coastal hedges as they dislike the salt spray in the wind. They also aren’t suitable for very dry or hot locations. If your soil is very sandy and often dries out in the Summer, you may wish to add compost or manure to the hole or trench when planting to help retain moisture. Adding mulch to the topsoil around the base of the plant, will help retain moisture. It will also regulate temperature and suppress weeds. Please refer to our advice on How to plant a hedge for more information.
Creating a Green Beech Hedge
When planting any hedge, including a Green Beech hedge, you should always research what the best location and growing conditions are for the plant, including soil suitability, preference to sun or shade and which in weather conditions the plants will thrive. Also important to consider is the purpose of your hedge i.e. full screen, or low or tall hedge etc, as this will determine how far apart individual plants should be planted and crucially, how many plants you will need. These factors are fully explored in our Hedge Planting Guide and our Hedge Plant Spacing Advice pages.
Green Beech Growth rate
Green Beech is often considered a slow grower but given the right conditions and treatment a Beech hedge can grow at the moderate rate of approximately 30-60cm per year. Whilst Beech may be slower growing than other hedging plants, once the desired height of the Beech hedge is achieved, it will only require minimal maintenance to keep the hedge looking tidy.
Green Beech Maintenance
When it comes to care and maintenance, a Green Beech Hedge only requires regular watering and occasional clipping and pruning. Trimming can be done in late summer and the new seasons leaves will be retained into the Autumn and Winter. It is important to avoid over-pruning, as this can lead to bare patches within the hedge. More information on pruning can be found in our Beech Hedging Pruning and Maintenance Guide.
Green Beech Pests, diseases and problems
- Beech hedges prefer a rich, well-drained soil so poorly draining soils can lead to root rot. Avoid such issues by improving soil drainage or choosing another species such as Hornbeam if improving drainage is impractical.
- Woolly Beech Aphids. These sap sucking tiny insects can often be seen on the undersides of leaves from leaf emergence through to the Summer. They look like fluffy white clusters and are often sticky with honeydew. Woolly Aphids aren’t usually a problem for more mature Beech plants or established hedges. They can however be more damaging to younger Beech saplings such as small bare root plants. So, care should be taken to monitor for them and if detected treat with a recommended insecticide.
- Honey fungus is a common problem for plants in the UK and spreads underground through the soil, attacking the roots of plants. No plants are completely immune to this fungus and Beech Hedges can also unfortunately suffer. Honey fungus can be difficult to detect and would usually present with symptoms such as, paling of leaves, dead twigs and branches and premature autumn colouring. Underground the roots of the plants would appear dead and rotting and have a strong aroma of mushrooms.
For further information on Beech Hedging plants please refer to our Green Beech Species Guide.
And our blog article on Green and Purple Beech Hedging Plants
Call Hedging UK Today
Here at Hedging UK we are known for being a friendly, family run business and specialist growers of quality hedging plants. All of our Green Beech Hedging plants are grown outside on our own nursery in Holmeswood, Lancashire, producing robust plants that are quick to establish. Our Beech hedge plants are available to purchase at wholesale prices across the UK through our mail order service. Our customers include Landscapers, Local Authorities, Garden Centres, Tree Surgeons, Schools and Private customers. Our experience in this market enables us to offer the best quality hedging plants with a price and service to match.
Our nursery is located in Holmeswood, Lancashire in the north west of England and is not open to the general public. Whilst the nursery is predominantly a mail order business, customers are welcome to come and see our range of hedging plants and purchase plants at the nursery, but please do so by appointment only, contact our team today.