Fagus sylvatica "Marmorstar"

• Type: European beech
• Latin name: Fagus sylvatica
• Cultivar: Marmorstar
• Mature height: 6–8 m
• Width: 3–5 m
• Light: sunny or semi-shaded
• Winter hardiness: USDA 4–7 (in Estonia in a sheltered spot)

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny or partly shaded spot with fertile, well-drained soil; sites with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 0.5 m in a hedge, 3–5 m as a tree apart. Beech prefers fertile, well-drained soil and dislikes standing water and severe drought.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Clip a formed hedge in the second half of summer (August); prune a tree lightly – remove dead and crossing branches.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. In Estonia beech is hardy in a sheltered spot; protect a young plant in its first winters with mulch and spruce boughs and against spring sun.