Fagus sylvatica Pendula

Fagus sylvatica Pendula is a beautiful weeping form of the common beech tree, particularly original and decorative. This tree has a remarkable, slender and romantic silhouette, composed of erect main branches from which secondary branches and long twigs gracefully hang like curtains. Like all beech trees, its foliage turns a beautiful orange-yellow in autumn and remains on the branches until the end of winter. This beautiful tree is decorative throughout the year and is usually placed in isolation in a park or large garden. It also responds well to pruning, making it quite easy to control its size and shape according to your wishes.

Fagus sylvatica Pendula will become a fairly large tree if left to grow freely. Ultimately, it can reach 15 to 20 m (49 ft 2 in to 65 ft 7 in) high with a spread of 8 to 10 m (26 ft 2 in to 32 ft 10 in) and can live for a very long time. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with a smooth, light grey bark. Its ancestor is native to central Europe and the Caucasus, and is one of the most common species in European forests. Its reddish wood is used in furniture-making and for the production of wooden tools and toys as well as firewood. 

The 'Pendula' form was selected in England around 1836, and it is a very popular tree, often planted in parks. Its growth is quite slow in the first few years and then accelerates. Its foliage is very dense, composed of oval, 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) long, shiny green leaves arranged alternately. They take on a decorative orange-yellow colour in autumn. These leaves are marcescent, meaning they dry up while remaining on the tree and only fall to the ground at the end of winter, just before the new leaves appear.

The flowers appear at the same time as the leaves, from April to May. The male flowers are yellow and are grouped in catkins of 40 to 60 mm (1.6 to 2.4 in). The female flowers are green and grouped in twos or fours at the end of the twigs. Fagus sylvatica Pendula produces shiny, brown fruits called beechnuts, covered with a prickly shell. These 12 to 18 mm (0.5 to 0.7 in) long fruits are edible in small quantities. Mountain people used to use them to make flour.

The weeping birch tree is a magnificent specimen to be planted in a large garden, but not suitable for small spaces. It thrives best in moist but not overly wet, well-drained, and humus-rich soils. However, it can be trained as a topiary to reduce its size, or grown as a bonsai.