Beech Raft..

[johnbaz]

Hi a;ll

Was given this whan my friend downsized home and he couldn't take all his trees with him!

I had just trimmed it back before the pic and got rid of all the unruley shoots!!

I'm not a lover of Beech, The leaves always seem too large and I dislike that they hang on through winter until new buds in spring pushes them off, I have to say that i'd rather have Hornbeam any day!!

They always seem to be sticky like they're full of Aphids but I never find any!!

EDIT- Forgot to say, I think the far left trunk needs reducing in height to get the triangular canopy..
John

 

[BobbyLane]

i like this. so you never thought about selling? whats it like without leaves?
i think it would suit a slab

i have some hornbeams available

 

[johnbaz]

i like this. so you never thought about selling? whats it like without leaves?
i think it would suit a slab

i have some hornbeams available

It's a Beech and holds on to the leaves, They're brown all through winter though, I don't think i've seen it nekked!!!

I couldn't get rid of it as it was a gift, Had loads of stuff given me and i'd feel bad if I moved them on, I would have to offer them back to the chap that gave them to me


Cheers, John

 

[penumbra]

I really like it and I love beech.
I am wondering if we are not looking at the back of the planting.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I'm not at all surprised Bobby jumped on this like white on rice. With a couple seasons of leaf pruning it would be a sweetheart.

 

[BobbyLane]

It's a Beech and holds on to the leaves, They're brown all through winter though, I don't think i've seen it nekked!!!

I couldn't get rid of it as it was a gift, Had loads of stuff given me and i'd feel bad if I moved them on, I would have to offer them back to the chap that gave them to me


Cheers, John

ah ok no worries.
re the leaves you can just pull them off. how else will you style the tree

 

[johnbaz]

ah ok no worries.
re the leaves you can just pull them off. how else will you style the tree

They always seem firmly attached, I think I could cut them off, I usually clip it back to shape when it's fully in leaf as I can see what the outcome is immediately then


Cheers, John

 

[BobbyLane]

i sold a small one a little while back, beech are at their best when naked, nice in summer too but they shine when leafless

 

[johnbaz]

i sold a small one a little while back, beech are at their best when naked, nice in summer too but they shine when leafless
View attachment 314112

WOWSER!!

that looks fab!

 

[johnbaz]

I once went to collect some Beech (Years ago!) that had been a part of some hedging, They had been out of the ground for several days and left in the garden, The weather had been quite damp, I got them home and put all but one in normal potting compost as I had nothing better at the time, The last one I had to dig some soil from the bottom of the garden as I ran out of compost!!

They all didn't make it with the exception of the one in garden soil!!

This one was part of an archway so I had to cut it down in size to get it in my car!, It started to die back so I thought this one was going to end badly as well!, The dieback stopped though and eventually I carved out the dead line down! ☺ It's still in the same garden soil and seems happy, I took this pioc today..(Had to put it in a plastic box with holes drilled for drainage!!

John..

 

[Forsoothe!]

You Brits are using the word "compost" differently than I'm used to. To me, compost is what comes out of a compost pile after it has gone through the whole cycle of composting according to J. I. Rodale. A layer a few inches thick of fresh green clippings or leaves, covered with a less than 1 inch layer of soil, watered and a handful of N fert scattered on top, all in a garden bin enclosed with something like chain link fencing. Typically, three of these 3 or 4 foot wide and long bins or partitions, side-by-side, contain many of these series of layers which are as high as comfortable to turn with a digging fork. The pile is turned from bin #1 into bin #2, back-and-forth once in a while, weekly or monthly or whatever to mix and especially to aeriate the mass which needs oxygen for the process to reach high enough temps (~150°F) to achieve "composting". Bin #3 is finished or aged and ready to use. The air, water and N fert aids the exothermic heat cycle that destroys bacteria and seeds in the mix. Is this what you mean when you Brits use the term "compost"?