These are BARE ROOTED plants which can be planted from the end of October until May and will be dispatched as soon as the weather turns cold and they become dormant.The dispatch date depends on the Autumn temperature and varies from year to year. Often used as a beautiful purple hedge on it's own or mixed in with the Green Beech. Growing Details Common Name: Copper beech or Purple Beech Genus: Fagus Species: sylvatica Cultivar: Atropurpurea Group Skill Level: Beginner Hardiness: Hardy Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Acidic, Chalky/alkaline Height: 25 - 30m Spread: 15m Spacing: 3 Plants Per Metre in Single Row, 5 Plants Per Metre in Double Row Description Beech hedges make effective windbreaks and sort of span the evergreen / deciduous boundary as whereas they are deciduous, they retain the dead leaves on the branches through the winter until they are pushed off by new shoots in the spring time. They are not completely bare and twiggy therefore when grown as a hedge.Plant 15-45cm(6-18 inches) apart depending on how thick you want your hedge to be.Leaves are purple Spring and Summer then in the Autumn they turn copper brown .These leaves are retained by the plant until Spring when the new leaves grow resulting in a hedge that is never bare.The hedge can be trimmed into any shape or size and will tolerate most conditions including shade and exposed areas. Beech can be planted as a single specimen tree which will grow to a maximum height of 30 metres but it will shed it's leaves in Autumn.