Beech Hedge Plants

Further Information about Beech Hedge Plants

Native to the UK, Beech hedge plants are renowned for their attractive, dense foliage that turns to a gorgeous coppery colour during autumn and winter months. 

Beech is a versatile hedging plant; it can be maintained at any size from around as small as 60cm or so, up to many metres high, depending on your requirements. Although Beech hedging is a deciduous species, it is one of the few that retains older brown leaves all year round – this makes it an excellent choice for screening and privacy. 

Beech is a deciduous tree located heavily around the UK, Europe, North America and Asia and there are 11 different subspecies. The plant is a native to the UK and Beech plants are often used for hedging purposes and to populate woodlands. 

We offer Beech hedging in a number of different types, including rootball, instant, potted hedging and bare root. All hedging is grown exclusively by us, meaning we’re able to directly control the level of quality that leaves our nursery. Order online now.

Caring for your Beech Hedge

With a little knowledge on your side, you can grow and maintain full healthy Beech hedges that are beautiful in season and out of season. To give you a hand, we’ve provided our expertise on everything from the best conditions to how to prepare for pests and diseases. 

Planting Conditions for Beech Hedges

Beech hedging plants will grow just fine in full sun or partially shaded areas. However, those planted in shaded areas will experience slower growth. Also consider the type of soil you have so you can place your Beech hedge in the best spot possible for its needs. If you are unsure on where to plant your Beech Hedge, read through this article: What type of site and soil is suitable for beech hedges. 

Planting Beech Hedging 

To give your Beech hedge the best start, we recommend starting to plant in Early Autumn – the ground is still warm enough to help the hedging develop roots, and the long Winter will help it transplant well before the growing season starts in Spring. For more information, please have a read through this article: Best Time to Plant a Beech Hedge.  

Overgrown Beech Hedge Plants 

Sometimes, especially at an old age, Beech hedge plants can become overgrown with tall, wide and unsightly branches. It is possible to restore them within two or three seasons, with just a little bit of effort and treatment. You can find out how to rejuvenate your old plants here: Renovating Overgrown Beech Hedges.

Health Issues with Beech Hedging

While Beech hedging is resistant to a lot of pests and diseases, a few in particular can infect the plants if precautions aren’t taken. For instance, Honey Fungus targets the roots of the plant and can spread quickly if not brought under control soon. For more information, see our guide to Pests and Diseases of Beech Hedging.: For more related content, please visit our knowledge base.

When Does a Beech Hedge Turn Green?

Both the Green Beech and the Purple or Copper Beech varieties of Beech hedging produce their fresh new leaves in the Spring that change colour in the coming seasons. 

The distinctive wavy-edged foliage emerges as mid-green, pushing out the dry copper leaves from the previous Autumn. The Green Beech leaves become darker as summer rolls on, while the leaves of the Purple Beech (also known as Copper Beech) turn various shades of deeper, darker purple within a week or two of the initial springtime flush. During the cool Autumn months, the foliage softens to buttery yellow before taking on its beautiful coppery brown hue.

Although classed as a deciduous plant, beech hedging can retain the majority of its leaves throughout winter if pruned at the right time. Pruning Beech hedges in  August will keep the foliage thick throughout winter and the hedge will give the privacy of an evergreen hedge.

Why Choose Hopes Grove Nurseries?

We’ve been growing and supplying Beech hedging to UK gardens and outdoor spaces for the last 30+ years. We’ve become specialists in hundreds of different hedging varieties, providing our customers with only the highest quality plants that will remain prosperous in their gardens for years to come. From hornbeam hedge to Cotoneaster ground cover, we’ve developed the expertise to make us leaders in the industry.

Each and every plant is grown with passion, treated with the utmost care from initial planting to harvesting and delivering. The majority of our plant selection is grown across our 80-acre sites, with over half a million home-grown varieties for you to choose from.

If you’re interested in our beech hedging, take a look at our range above, get in touch, or buy online today.