It could be argued that maybe a bonsai enthusiast should stay away from a species named for its large leaves. Ok. That’s fair.
The North American beech is just that – Fagus grandifolia – pretty much translated as “the large leaf beech.” I will concede right from the start that I should look into getting a European beech, but at home, in my immediate surroundings, the American beech plays a big role in defining the woods I love to walk in. It’s a beautiful species, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to collect this young tree that displayed a very full mass of persistent beech-brown leaves when I found it this past spring.
It has done exceedingly well in this first year. In the photo above, I am about halfway done removing the leaves in advance of winter storage. It’s rather surprising how much green you can still see even in the middle of November in Northern Virginia. Nevertheless, a significant amount of color change has occurred and I am confident it won’t miss the leaves at this point.
Just as when I found it, most of the leaves would stay on through the winter if I left them, but I prefer to remove the leaves before putting deciduous trees into cold frames. This reduces the amount of litter inside which can help reduce potential for pest and disease problems in the spring. Besides, I wanted to get a good look at the branching and structure of this tree!
Really not bad for a tree that has not been styled! Removing leaves also gave me a good look at how many buds are set for spring growth. Every indication is this will continue to be a strong specimen. I look forward to helping it develop!
Bonsai Iterate 