European beech
Fagus sylvatica
- Size
- 15 m tall, 10 m across
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, shade
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- April to May
- A hedge
- Screening a view
- Native here
- Good in a hedge
- Holds dry leaves through winter
- Native
- Autumn colour
Safety
- Eaten, it may upset a stomach.
- A dog that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- A cat that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- Note: a known allergen for some people
- Note: vigorous or spreading roots, mind structures and drains
Reviewed and approved for Poland by a qualified gardener with thirty years of practice, 22 September 2026.
What it needs, what it becomes
- Type
- Trees
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Size when mature
- 15 m tall, 10 m across
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, shade
- Moisture
- Medium
- Soil
- loam, chalk, sand
- Soil pH
- 5 to 8
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- April to May
- For pollinators
- Some
- Water
- Medium water
- Upkeep
- Some
- Growth
- Steady
- In Europe
- Native
- Spreading risk
- None known
- If eaten
- People: Can upset a stomach · Dogs: Can upset a stomach · Cats: Can upset a stomach
- Worth knowing
- A known allergen for some people · Drops fruit, which makes a mess over paving
Design a garden with this plant
The studio draws a plan for your own plot and picks plants that suit its light and soil. It needs no account.
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Lists it is on
- Plants for shade30 plantsWhat grows on the north side of a house, under a tree and against a wall the sun reaches for an hour.
- Plants for a hedge13 plantsSpecies that take clipping and close into a line, with the mature height of each.
- Plants for screening24 plantsFor a neighbour's window, a road, and anything you would rather not look at from the terrace.
