"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...
I would like to know the pro's and con's of planting a a Tri-Colored
Beech as an ornament tree in my well-established front yard. (Zone 7,
central VA))

Hurricane Isabel wasn't very nice to my Eastern American Bed Bud last
Fall and she had to go (with great mourning)

I've been thinking of replacing her with a Tri-colored Beech... because
it matches the color scheme of our house perfectly!

The placement will be;
(close to) NE side of the house
Part-sun/shade in Fall and Spring
Full sun in summer.


Tri-colored European Beech = Fagus Sylvatica-TriColor

Thanks in advance!
David

All beeches have a problem with surface roots so they are not highly
recommended for residential landscapes, especially if you want to use it in
your front yard. You may want to see if you can find a mature one and check
it out. I would think you might be able to get around this problem by using
a slightly raised bed with ornamentals or ground covers around it.

My garden reference book says the "Tricolor" cultivar has foliage which
burns in hot sun or dry winds and zone 7 is the highest zone recommended.
It's listed as slow growing. Other than that it lists no serious disease or
pest problems.

If you want to go back with a red bud, you might consider "Oklahoma" (cercis
canadensis texensis). It has a somewhat lower growth habit than the eastern
red bud, but the blooms are much darker and are hot pink in color. I really
like red buds. I have an eastern, an Oklahoma, and a Texas white so my red
buds bloom in three different shades. My mom has a fully mature Oklahoma
red bud and it's incredible when it blooms in the spring.