Upright Beech, Dawyck Beech

Fagus sylvatica Dawyck is an upright form of the Common Beech, Fagus sylvatica.

This tree shares many of its parent's great qualities, most notably its green, glossy foliage, which turns golden brown in the autumn. However, this species's significant difference is its tightly columnar crown, which forms a distinctive flame shape as it matures.

When mature, this medium to large tree seldom reaches more than 3m wide.

Fagus sylvatica Dawyck originated in Scotland and won the Award of Garden Merit in 2002. Wonderful specimens of this architectural beauty can be seen planted in the University Colleges in Cambridge.

Like its parent, it is a tough tree and will thrive just about anywhere, but it does not do well in exposed or coastal conditions. This tree is best suited to reasonably fertile and well-drained soils but does not perform well on heavy clay or light sand, and being a shallow-rooted tree, we do not recommend under-planting.

This super architectural tree is an absolute beauty, albeit with a rather ugly name! It is best suited to specimen planting in parks and extensive gardens and is a nice choice for avenue planting where rigid uniformity is required.

Although it is a narrow tree, the large eventual height for this specimen should be considered, and thus, it is not recommended for planting in very small gardens or areas with limited space.

It is a great choice to complement other trees of regular shape and is a welcome addition to planting schemes which require structure and consistency.

Why do some trees hold onto their dead leaves?

Mature height: 12-17m

Common names

Upright Beech, Dawyck Beech

Height of tree

12-17m

Soil type

Well drained, Chalk/Alkaline, Acidic

Shape

Pyramidal

Foliage Colour

Green

Looks good in

Summer

Location

Garden, Parkland, Avenue

Genus

Fagus