Purple or Copper Beech Hedge
Fagus sylvatica Purpurea
Purple or Copper Beech hedge plants (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea') combine the dense, formal habit of traditional Beech with much darker seasonal foliage. Leaves develop rich purple, burgundy and dark green tones through spring and summer before turning copper-brown in autumn, with a regularly clipped hedge often retaining much of its dry foliage through winter.
- Rich purple and burgundy foliage through spring and summer
- Copper-brown autumn colour with useful winter leaf retention
- Bare-root, pot-grown and instant Purple Beech available
- Strongest purple colour in good light and well-drained soil
Key product facts
Purple or Copper Beech Hedge Root Types
Choose from our range of Purple or Copper Beech Hedge sizes and root types below.
Bare Root
Availability
- In Season
- Pre Order
- Out Of Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Choose your height
Pick a height to see the relevant single-plant and bulk-buy options.
40-60cm
- Bare RootSingle plants£5.15
£5.15 per plant
60-90cm
- Bare RootSingle plants£6.95
£6.95 per plant
90-120cm
- Bare RootSingle plants£9.95
£9.95 per plant
120-150cm
- Bare RootSingle plants£13.95
£13.95 per plant
Instant Hedging
Availability
- In Season
- Pre Order
- Out Of Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Choose your height
Pick a height to see the relevant single-plant and bulk-buy options.
80-100cm
- Instant HedgingPer metre£169.95
£169.95 per metre
Pot Grown
Availability
- In Season
- Pre Order
- Out Of Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Choose your height
Pick a height to see the relevant single-plant and bulk-buy options.
40-60cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£7.95
£7.95 per plant
60-90cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£12.95
£12.95 per plant
Sold out
90-120cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£19.95
£19.95 per plant
Sold out
120-150cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£32.95
£32.95 per plant
Sold out
150-175cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£64.95
£64.95 per plant
Sold out
175-200cm
- Pot GrownSingle plants£72.95
£72.95 per plant
Sold out
Purple or Copper Beech is a particularly good choice where you want the neat structure of a traditional Beech hedge with stronger foliage contrast. Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' clips into a dense formal boundary and works well as a feature hedge, against lighter planting or mixed with predominantly green foliage elsewhere in the garden.
Choose the root type and starting height that suits your project. Bare-root Purple Beech is the economical seasonal option for longer planting runs, pot-grown plants provide more flexibility through the year, and instant hedging provides established height and structure from planting. Planting density varies with the size and format selected, so use the plants-per-metre information shown beside the exact product option.
Nursery Advice for Purple Beech
Purple Beech gives you the same formal structure and clipping response as Green Beech but with much deeper foliage colour. I prefer it in a sunny or well-lit position, where the leaves develop their strongest purple and copper tones. It works particularly well as a feature hedge or where you want contrast against green planting. As with Green Beech, good drainage is important, so on persistently wet ground I would normally consider Hornbeam instead.
Choosing the right hedge
Is Purple Beech Right for Your Site?
A great choice if you want:
- Formal hedges with stronger seasonal colour
- Full sun or a well-lit position for the deepest purple foliage
- Partial shade where some variation in foliage colour is acceptable
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Boundaries where copper winter foliage and seasonal screening are valued
- Projects needing bare-root, pot-grown or instant hedging
Consider another hedge if:
- Persistently waterlogged ground
- Very heavy wet clay with poor drainage
- Deep shade where purple foliage colour may be reduced
- Very dry sites without reliable establishment watering
- Sites requiring guaranteed evergreen green foliage throughout winter
Buying help
Purple & Copper Beech Buying FAQs
Are Purple Beech and Copper Beech the same thing?
Purple Beech and Copper Beech are commonly used names for dark-leaved forms of Fagus sylvatica. The foliage can move through purple, burgundy, bronze and copper tones during the year, which is why both names are widely used for this type of Beech hedging.
Is Purple or Copper Beech evergreen?
No. Purple or Copper Beech is deciduous. Its leaves change to copper-brown in autumn and a regularly clipped hedge often retains much of this dry foliage through winter, but it is not a true evergreen hedge.
Does Purple Beech keep its leaves in winter?
A regularly clipped Purple Beech hedge commonly retains useful copper-brown foliage through winter until new leaves emerge in spring. Retention varies with hedge age, pruning, exposure and weather, so the amount of winter cover cannot be guaranteed.
How fast does Purple Beech hedging grow?
At Hedging Plants Direct we use approximately 20–40cm of annual growth once established as a practical guide. Growth can be slower while newly planted hedging establishes, and actual performance depends on soil, moisture, light, exposure and pruning.
How many Purple Beech plants do I need per metre?
The correct planting density depends on the height and root type selected. Smaller bare-root plants normally require more plants per metre than larger pot-grown plants, while instant hedging is supplied as established units. Use the plants-per-metre recommendation shown beside the exact variation you are ordering.
When can I plant Purple or Copper Beech hedging?
Bare-root Purple Beech is planted during the dormant season, normally from November to March. Pot-grown plants can be planted throughout the year when the ground is workable and suitable watering can be maintained. Instant hedging can also be planted when conditions are suitable, subject to current stock and size availability.
Related hedge plants
- Price From £1.40 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Beech is a popular deciduous hedge as it has superb dense bright green foliage with wavy edges, that turns copper in the autumn and is retained throughout the winter months.
- Price From £10.50 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Green and Purple Beech Hedging Mix combines approximately 75% Green Beech with 25% Purple Beech for a colourful same-species hedge. Both are deciduous, with a regularly clipped hedge often retaining useful copper-brown foliage through winter.
- Price From £1.15 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a hardy deciduous hedge plant for dense traditional boundaries, particularly useful on heavier clay and in partial shade. Available as bare-root, pot-grown and instant hedging.
- Price From £1.20 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Field Maple is a native, fast growing deciduous hedging plant that has green foliage that turn shades of yellow in the autumn.
- Price From £11.95 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Photinia Red Robin hedge plants provide evergreen screening with bright red new leaves that mature to glossy green. Choose from pot-grown plants and instant hedging in a range of sizes to suit your garden.
- Price From £3.75 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
English Yew (Taxus baccata) is a dense, native evergreen hedging plant with fine, dark green foliage. It clips beautifully into formal hedges, grows in sun or shade and provides dependable year-round screening. Yew is long-lived, tolerant of hard pruning and ideal where a smart, controlled hedge is preferred over very fast growth.
Planting essentials
Give your new hedge the best possible start with the planting products we recommend for establishment and healthy growth.
Price From £14.95 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageSupport the establishment of newly planted hedges, trees and shrubs with Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi. The beneficial fungi form a secondary root system that helps plants access water and nutrients from the surrounding soil.
The included dipping gel makes Rootgrow particularly convenient for bare-root hedging, while the dry granules can be applied directly to the roots of pot-grown and root-balled plants.
Choose from 360g, 1kg and 2.5L Professional packs for domestic gardens, longer hedge lines and trade or commercial planting projects.
- Price From £8.25 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Feeding your hedging with our granular ‘Hedge Feed’ the ultimate solution for nurturing and rejuvenating your beloved hedge. Our carefully crafted long lasting granular hedge fertiliser provides the essential nutrients your hedge needs to thrive.
- Price From £0.95 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
As well as supplying high quality plants we also provide a complete Irrigation package to make sure your investment thrives.
Price From £8.00 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageOur Hedge Planting Compost is a natural, peat free soil conditioner/improver.
- Price From £0.29 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our bamboo canes provide support to your hedge and ensures that plants fitted with a rabbit guard will grow nice and straight. They are 90cm long (3ft) and made from 100% bamboo.
- Price From £0.58 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our Hedging Spiral Guards help protect your hedge from damage by rabbits.
