Purple Beech hedge plants

Purple Beech hedge (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea') description

Copper Beech hedging offers similar qualities to the Green Beech variety; however, the mid-sized foliage of Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' comes in dark shades of green and purple instead of mid-green, creating a wonderful purple hedging feature. Coastal and inland exposure is no problem for a Purple Beech hedge, (though some of the winter leaf colour may be lost in very harsh situations). Copper Beech is well suited to a position in sun or partial shade and tolerant of most soil types, except very wet conditions; if your site is damp then Hornbeam will prove to be a better option.

Popular uses for Copper Beech hedges

This purple hedging is tough, easy to grow and provides a great screen due to the crisp foliage that stays on the branches until spring. Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' looks great when trimmed neatly and equally as striking when allowed to bush out in a more natural form. This is one of our most popular Beech hedging varieties for formal garden planting, as the dark foliage provides a wonderful contrast against healthy lawns and brighter coloured plants.

Combine Purple beech hedging with

Purple Beech makes an impressive specimen when planted alone, however, you can also plant Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' with Common Green Beech for an interesting combination.

Growth rate of a Purple Beech hedge

Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' has a fast growth rate of 30-60cm per year and can grow to a height of 5m, although, if desired, your Purple Beech hedge can be very easily kept moderately low - 1m upwards.

Pruning and aftercare advice for Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea'

To ensure you get the distinctive winter leaf cover of a Purple Beech hedge, clipping in late summer or early autumn is vital. As this is a fairly low maintenance shrub, no other regular pruning is needed, except to remove any damaged or diseased shoots. For more information, please take a look at our Hedging Care Advice page.

Planting density guidelines for Purple Beech hedge plants

For more detailed information regarding the planting density of Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea', please see the product table. In the 'No. Per Metre' column, you will find our recommended plant density for each individual plant species and root type. Our advice section offers further planting density information.

Our Purple Beech hedge plants are available year-round in pots, as cell grown plants and as instant hedging (grown in troughs). We also supply bare root Copper Beech hedging plants, which are delivered from November to late April/early May.

The vast majority of our Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' plants are UK grown by specialist horticulturalists, though we infrequently source Purple Beech from our professional growing partners overseas, where we are adamant that the quality cannot be rivalled. At best4hedging, we always endeavour to bring you the freshest, finest quality products whilst maintaining our low prices, so you can buy Purple Beech hedge plants with confidence from our nursery in Lancashire.