Purple beech

[SeanR]

Moved house recently and as you do, kind of inspired by these huge Purple beech trees in the area. For some reason i always thought they were called “black cherry”, though thought wrong for many years.

Anyways, beautiful trees, so i thought id buy one for a bonsai. There was only one for sale.

Had beech in the past with some success.

Looking at this one, my thoughts are the old trunk will have go and the first branch will be bent to form a new trunk

Long project, any thoughts?

 

[Shibui]

We know these as 'copper beech' down here. I assume that's the same thing?
Consider yourself lucky to live in a climate that suits these things. They definitely don't do well through our hot, dry summers.

Definitely a long term project as they are quite slow growing, usually only one flush of growth in Spring each year.
The chop above the first branch will certainly add some taper to the trunk but I think the right angle bend will need adjustment a abrupt changes in direction rarely look good.
Given slow development is there any other possible options using the existing trunk? It may be worth living with less taper in the trunk rather than spending the next 20 years developing a new trunk after a chop?

 

[SeanR]

Hello, yes, copper beach, same tree.

Im in no hurry to chop the thick trunk but there just isn't the branches to do anything else, without having a really big tree.

The branch will need a significant bend, as it gets older and thicker, hopefully become less apparent. Might just bend the branch, leave the cut for a while and see how it goes.

Im in no rush, sometimes you have to work with what's available. I think using the branch, the tree will end up ok but looooooooooooong term.

For me, that's what the hobby is about.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

We know these as 'copper beech' down here.

In the US we call them "European Beech" (Fagus sylvatica) though they are originally native to the UK. I have seen them in the US in nurseries with the purple leaf, purple leaf contorted, and the purple variegated leaf - but never the standard green leaf (probably because nurseries prefer to stock "flashy" cultivars).



There are a few large beautiful purple leaf trees in the Stadtgarten in Konstanz (Deutschland) which you can see with the miracle of Google Maps

 

[penumbra]

Just for the sake of interest, the Copper Beech tends more toward a coppery color leaf after the purplish spring color fades. They often come true from seed and they are by far one of the hardiest of the European Beeches. They also vary quite a bit in the intensity of color. But there are several cultivars called purple beech which hold the deep purplish color better and have other attributes as well. Some weep, some are columnar, some are compact, some have split or bifurcated leaves, and so forth. Donald Wyeman had some interesting thoughts as to why there are so many European cultivars but not so for American Beeches. I think I wore his book out about 30 to 40 years ago.
Some of these purple leaved European beech (Fagus sylvatica) cultivars are 'Atropunicea' (also called 'Riversii' or 'Purpurea'), 'Dawyck Purple', 'Purpurea Pendula' (weeping copper beech), 'Red Obelisk'. 'Purple Fountain', 'Rohanii', and 'Swat Magret'

 

[SeanR]

Thanks for clearing that up, to be honest i wasn't sure.

There are some really tall big ones around here, never really noticed them before, beautiful trees.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

You have any purple beeches? sure I do

 

[BobbyLane]

Yes its fagus sylvatica purpurea. Id keep it tall, there is taper in the main trunk and the first branch can be trained up a second trunk or left as the first branch.

Im working on one here, similar form. Its actually been reduced since last photo and ive removed the sucker.

Thread 'Fagus Sylvatica Tree'

Jun 25, 2023

Here's a Beech layer started in May

• BobbyLane
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Other Deciduous

• 

 

[SeanR]

Cheers, that is a similar form.

I'm just in the process of bending the branch upwards but will leave the other trunk for now.

Cant remember what these were like for back budding, you certainly have some shoots low down.

I'm no bonsai expert, but one thing I've learned over the years is don't do anything you cant undo, as you all know.

 

[BobbyLane]

Unless you have visible nodes on the lower trunk I wouldnt expect any back budding there.

 

[Potawatomi13]

What's wrong with the current trunk?

 

[SeanR]

Its short of branches and has an ugly old branch cut mark.