Greening Wymondham

The Copper Beech, often known as Purple Beech, is a cultivated form of the Common Beech, admired for its foliage that shifts from bronze to deep purple through the growing season. The specimen at Applegarth Court is particularly impressive, with a broad, densely branched canopy that offers welcome shade and helps keep the courtyard cool during hot summer days.

Within its branches, wood pigeons assemble fine, flexible twigs for their nests. In late spring. visitors may notice a faint stickiness on the leaves - honeydew secreted by the woolly beech aphid. Though harmless, it signals a thriving mini-ecosystem that sustains a host of tiny creatures.

Copper Beech timber is prized for strength and versatility, long used in furniture, tools, kitchenware, and fuel. Historically, Pliny the Elder recorded that the Gauls made a red soap from beechwood ash to colour their hair.

In autumn, the tree bears small nuts, or mast, relished by squirrels, jays, and mice. Majestic and life-sustaining, the Copper Beech of Applegarth Court remains both a living landmark and a sanctuary for urban wildlife.