Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees Beech By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on February 1, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Beech Overview Description A versatile, handsome tree, the beech takes center stage in the garden come fall when leaves change to red, gold, orange, or brown. Beech trees stand proudly upright or bend and weep; jagged leaves vary from deep green to variegated rose, white, green, or bronzy-purple. For the best leaf color, plant beeches in full sun. The hardy American beech is a U.S. native with larger leaves and light gray bark. Genus Name Fagus Common Name Beech Plant Type Tree Light Part Sun, Sun Height 8 to 20 feet Width 35 to 45 feet Foliage Color Blue/Green, Purple/Burgundy Season Features Colorful Fall Foliage, Spring Bloom, Winter Interest Special Features Attracts Birds, Good for Containers Zones 5, 6, 7, 8 Propagation Seed, Stem Cuttings Problem Solvers Slope/Erosion Control More varieties for Beech European beech Fagus sylvatica features smooth gray bark and glossy leaves that turn gold in autumn. It grows 80 feet tall and 50 feet wide. Zones 5-7 'Tricolor' beech Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor' bears green foliage variegated with splashes of pink and white. It grows 60 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Zones 5-7 more ideas to improve your landscape More Videos » Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit