[john1412]

I have the following two trees planted and i'm guessing they are Beech but are they the common European Beech or some kind of smaller Beech, i reckon they are about 10 years old and i was just wondering if that amount of growth is normal for them, they are no more then 5-6ft tall

[Greengage]

sorry no pic so cant help

[john1412]

that's corrected now, i had dropbox links which don't work because they display a page rather then just the image file

[Greengage]

they look like regular beech, they seem to be struggling a bit and not very straight stems maybe caused by prevailing winds or shade, you could clear the grass from the bottom about 1metre all round and fork over the soil without damageing the roots. the feed with tree and shrub fertiliser or mulch but not up to the stem. Young trees often retain their leaves over the winter like this but they will fall off when they burst into bud whenever Spring arrives.

[john1412]

i suppose wouldn't be a bad idea, however i was thinking about digging them out in the back end of the year and moving them anyway, has there not in the best of locations, i'm sure they are the same ones that be planted at the sides of motorways and roads if that gives you a better idea

[Darwin.]

They look like the same ones I have in my hedge.

[john1412]

this might sound a bit thick of me but i don't suppose Beech used for hedging is on a dwarfing root system ? or is it simply trimmed back

[tippben]

Nope, Beech using for hedges is exactly the same plant as a full sized tree. It is the regular cutting that keeps it small.

[medieval knievel]

beech used for hedging has its roots pruned too when young, to promote bushiness.

[john1412]

so would i be right in saying that the two trees i have could grow into a full sized Beech? and does that look like typical growth for a 10 year old Beech?

[Greengage]

yes they will grow into mature trees, beech hedgeing are the same only pruned every year keeping the small, thats the smple answer.

[Silver surfer]

A beech hedge using Fagus sylvatica, is kept small by constant pruning.....
except for the Meikleour hedge in Perthshire. Scotland!

Quote wiki...

"The Meikleour Beech Hedge(s) (European Beech = Fagus sylvatica), located near Meikleour, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, alongside the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie Road, was planted in the autumn of 1745 by Jean Mercer and her husband, Robert Murray Nairne on the Marquess of Lansdowne's Meikleour estate. It is said the hedge grows towards the heavens because the men who planted it were killed at the Battle of Culloden.

The hedge is noted in the Guinness World Records as the tallest and longest hedge on earth, reaching 30 metres (100 ft) in height and 530 metres (1/3 mile) in length. The hedge is trimmed once every ten years but remains viewable to visitors all year round."


https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=meikleour+hedge+scotland&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44990110,d.d2k&biw=1920&bih=967&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=T6xlUcCVEYrT0QWR24E4


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meikleour_Beech_Hedges

[john1412]

Just Googled that hedge it's very impressive I must say well I am going to re-home the tree in the first pic at the end of this year hopefully, and i'll do some work on the second tree to help it along, i'll remove the grass from around the base anyway for a start