Information on the Weeping European Beech Tree

Varieties

• The European beech grows to 60 feet high and it can be 50 feet wide; the weeping cultivars are smaller. Purple Fountain is a narrow form of the European beech, possessing drooping branches. Purple Fountain grows to 25 feet tall, but it is just 15 feet wide. Pendula is taller, growing between 35 and 50 feet high with widths in the range of 20 to 40 feet. Purpurea Pendula is a shrubby version of the European beech that has a weeping habit. It develops only to between 5 and 12 feet in height.

Weeping Form

• Purple Fountain has a columnar shape, with its branches pointing downward, but staying close to its trunk. Pendula comes in two main forms. One has the main limbs near the upper portion of an upright trunk growing outward and then downward, with some even growing long enough to reach the ground. The other major form of Pendula is a tree with a broad crown of branches, with the side branches being the ones that droop downward. Purpurea Pendula's shape is that of a mushroom, with the top wider than the bottom and the branches drooping down.

Features

• The dark green leaves of Pendula grow to lengths of 4 inches. In autumn, they change to shades of gold-copper. Purple Fountain's foliage develops to be between 2 and 4 inches long. The edges are wavy and the early summer color is purple, before the leaves slowly fade in intensity. The 4-inch-long leaves of Purpurea Pendula also begin purple, but change to tints of purple-green during the summer before going to a bronze color by fall. None of the flowers on these weeping European beech trees is conspicuous.

Growing Conditions

• These weeping European beeches are suitable for planting in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7. To obtain the best color possible in its foliage, plant Purple Fountain in full sunshine. It does best in well-draining sites. Pendula and Purpurea Pendula do not tolerate damp sites with poor drainage. Both trees are somewhat difficult to transplant. Purpurea Pendula sometimes has problems handling the potential pollution of an urban setting. The beech scale and the Japanese beetle are potential pests of Pendula and Purpurea Pendula.