Lynda Thornton wrote:
Thanks - I think some other gardens have also got thin beech coverage
from what I can see on our road. We will give the hedges a good hard
trim next summer - I assume late August is the right time, not before?

Yes, perhaps twice a year is good for beech hedge, May and August. If
you haven't done it before I would suggest you do it twice. It made me
think though if we have a problem with our weather - shouldn't we move
forward by 1 month with our pruning? Seeing the state of my lilacs ...
it's so sad. All the leaves have gone now and at the extremities of the
branches there's little round clusters of flowers (not at all the cone
shape of the ordinary lilac). It's a very strange phenomenon, but I now
wonder if I will have the wonderful scent I get from my trees next
spring (

I have a lil' beech tree which I have grown from seed. 8 years ago
Gardeners Question Time on the radio said it would be a good year for
the seeds. I took a handful from Styal Forest and planted them all in
my garden. I got lucky with one, which I moved 6 years ago from it's
birthplace to a place it will stay hopefully for ever. It's got all its
leaves though - always keep them until new ones arrive.