Weeping European Beech

Majestic specimen trees are a vital part of landscaping our gardens, and if you have a larger property you will want to plant special trees that will beautify it now and leave a legacy for the future. We are offering you the chance to plant a piece of American history (see the ‘History’ section lower down) and a remarkable specimen tree, when you plant the Weeping European Beech tree. This spectacular large tree is one of the most iconic weeping trees in the world, with a central trunk supporting horizontal branches that drop many vertical stems straight to the ground. It looks as remarkable in winter with its branching structure outlined against the sky as it does in summer when it looks like some green elephant that has taken root in your garden. If you want spectacular and beautiful specimen trees in your garden, then you must have this tree. Nothing else comes close, and mature trees are admired around the world.

Growing the Weeping European Beech

Size and Appearance

The Weeping European Beech is a large deciduous tree that has a strong central trunk supporting horizontal or slightly pendulous branches. From those branches long stems fall vertically, creating a curtain-like effect, and turning this tree into a giant green tent pitched on your lawn. It will typically grow 35 to 50 feet tall, with a spread of up to 40 feet, although very old specimens in ideal circumstances can double that spread. The distinctive bark is smooth and light-gray, resembling the skin of an elephant. The leaves are up to 4 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide, of an oval shape with very finely-serrated edges and a short pointed tip. The leaves are slightly leathery and slightly glossy, dark green on the upper side and paler green below. In fall they turn dark orange-yellow, and then pale brown as they die, and in young trees many of the leaves may stay on the tree until spring. It takes 10 to 30 years before a significant number of beech nuts are produced, and these are round, up to one inch long, with a spiny outer coating. They are popular with birds, wildlife and pigs.

Using the Weeping European Beech in Your Garden

The Weeping European Beech is a wonderful specimen for a large lawn, planted so it can be seen and admired from a distance. Consider planting it on a slope or near water, or edging a wood. This is a legacy tree that will probably live 150 years or more, so when planting consider its placement carefully, and allow plenty of room not just overhead (avoiding wires) but also looking at how close it is to buildings, driveways, roads and property boundaries.

Hardiness

The Weeping European Beech tree is hardy from zone 4 to zone 7, growing best in climates that are not too hot, with damp summers and cool winters.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best for your Weeping European Beech, which is pretty much assured if you place it in an open area allowing for its final size. It grows best in deep, well-drained soils of most types, and good drainage is essential, it will not tolerate wet ground. For that reason, a higher point, or on a gentle slope, is best.

Maintenance and Pruning

This tree is generally free of significant pests or diseases and grows easily and well in the right climate and location, and it is a very long-lived tree. It will take a few years for it to develop its full form, and you might want to do some formative pruning to develop a strong central trunk and well-spaced side branches, but otherwise no special care is needed.

History and Origin of the Weeping European Beech

The European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, grows naturally in Europe all the way from southern Sweden to the island of Sicily. It is especially grown and admired in England, where it was probably introduced by Stone Age migrants after the last Ice Age. Trees with weeping branches have arisen several times over the centuries, with slightly different patterns of growth, and they are placed together in the Pendula Group. The tree we are offering is of the most desirable type, with broad, spreading branches and weeping stems, best called ‘Pendula’.

In America we are pretty sure where all our weeping beech trees came from. Samuel Parsons was one of America’s first landscape architects, and he had the responsibility of choosing and planting the trees in NYC’s Central Park, designed by the founder of landscape architecture in America, Frederick Law Olmsted. Parsons was traveling in Europe and in 1846 he purchased a weeping beech from the estate of Baron DeMann in Beersal, Belgium. He had the tree shipped across the Atlantic, where it ended up being planted in Kissena Park, Flushing, Queens. 120 years later the tree was 65 feet tall and 85 feet across, a designated New York City Landmark, and the land it stood on was named Weeping Beech Park. It died in 1998. This tree was the parent of virtually every weeping beech in America, and we are confident that the trees we are selling are descendants of Parsons tree. What a history!

Buying the Weeping European Beech at the Tree Center

Our weeping beech trees are reproduced by stem pieces grafted onto seedling European beech trees – pieces traceable back to Parsons original tree. Plant a unique and majestically beautiful tree that is a slice of American history, but order your tree now, because our limited stock will not remain available for long.