Screw you, genetics!

[RobRainford]

Yes, this is the ungrafted wild version, the grafted purples tend to be consistant though.

 

I do love a nice copper and purple beech, a friend of mine thinks they are hideous blots on the landscape and all purple trees should be removed!

 

They are a natural occurance!

 

some people!

 

 

I agree with the other people but agree with you also, beech are my favourite trees, theres just something about them! But when there is a large amount of copper/purple beech in one area it darkens the area too much.

 

Ive observed down at the local cemetary, there are a few 'normal' beeches and a few copper beeches, including one impressive copper beech, (almost perfectly symettrical, open grown and unmanaged, how it should be.) The copper beechs havent grown as large as the others, would this be due to the lower ratio of chlorophyll to carotin, whereas the normal beech have green leaves and hence a much higher ratio enabling them to photosynthesise more efficiently?

[Graham]

Yes, this is the ungrafted wild version, the grafted purples tend to be consistant though.

 

I do love a nice copper and purple beech, a friend of mine thinks they are hideous blots on the landscape and all purple trees should be removed!

 

They are a natural occurance!

 

some people!

 

The late, great Alan Mitchell would have agreed with your friend. Copper beech was an abomination to him with the reluctant exception of 'Rivers Purple'. I remember doing a tour of Westonbirt with him and remembering about 1% of his dialogue.....a strange sight running about in his shorts and sandals everywhere:001_smile:

[josharb87]

done a fair ammount of removing reverted growth on varigated mapels back in cambridge, and removing normal leafed branches from the biggest cut leaf beech ive ever seen in my village, beautifull tree, can you get cut leaf purple beeches?

[big fell!]

Very interesting thread guys, talking of perfect copper beeches... There is a huge almost perfectly symetrical CB just opposite Wigan hospital down a little road called Maryleborne lane. I did some work there in May and it is a real beauty!

Big knarly Hawthorns and beech's are my personal favourites.