Fagus grandifolia

[opposablethumb]

American Beech (F. grandifolia) is really hard to find in the nursery trade. I've never seen one planted in the landscape in my part of the world. All of the ones in the forest are small, understory plants...I rarely see a large one that was passed over in clearcuts in the past. So I've been hunting for a place to buy one for a couple years now...

Wayside Gardens is selling them this year!

Get yourself one and put it in the ground!
(in the right place, of course...)

 

[robinia]

I had always understood the unavailability is that they are extremely difficult transplants. Also forest grown trees often develop as colonies/clones from a a single root system, so very little root is available when digging. Don't know anything about growing from seed...
Enjoy! Glad you found some.

 

[moss]

Vulnerability to beech bark beetle disease may have limited the desire of the nursery industry in the northeast to cultivate F. grandifolia.

Also... I think a lot of landscape designers take F. grandifolia for granted and prefer European Beech for the the many varieties available in the trade: copper leaves, weeping forms etc.

European beech seeds self germinate pretty well, I imagine with a little experimentation you could persuade grandifolia to sprout from seed.

Just had to throw this photo of a fine grandifolia into the thread:

-AJ

 

[guymayor]

Your beech sure have rough looking bark in the NE!

Transplant issues may be overrated--I have dug 1-3" beech from the woods, and saw a fibrous root system; not hard to work with.

Glad to see your campus getting diversified!

 

[JeffL]

I've seen some planted trees approaching the size of some european beech in landscape settings, ala 4-5'+ diameter trunks and spreads rivaling heights. Don't come across many large ones in the forest, ad the bark fungus does a pretty nice job of decimating them. The sylvatica does seem pretty preferable in the landscape as far as I can see.

 

[moss]

[ QUOTE ]
Your beech sure have rough looking bark in the NE!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ya, that one is unique, I think it has something to do with the twist, rest of the large beech in the grove have smooth bark above the normal rough area that mature grandifolia has right at the base.
-AJ

 

[Dan_Watkins]

I have 2 planted in my backyard. They were planted by my dad over 20 years ago. They may not be the easiest tree to plant and maintain, but they are not very difficult