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DAHere in my garden, I have this gorgeous copper beech hedge. It’s so lovely because it gives me privacy, absorbs noise, and is a great habitat for British birds that stay with us during the wintertime.
But it has another incredible ability, too. It can change its colour.
With beech, you’ve got a hedge that gives one beautiful colour during spring and summer, and then another stunning colour in autumn and winter.
This incredible colour change occurs through a special process called marcescence.
In layperson’s terms, it is half a deciduous tree, which loses its leaves, and half an evergreen tree, which keeps them. Sound confusing?
Well, what happens is this. During spring and summer, the foliage is lush green, and it looks beautiful. Then, during autumn, the foliage turns copper. But unlike other deciduous trees, it holds on to its leaves.
Scientists believe that the marcescence process helps the beech keep its leaves during autumn and winter, so it can retain nutrients, and could deter herbivores like deer from eating its leaves.
Please tell me, have you got a beech in your garden too? Or what is your favourite hedge?
Share it in the comments below .👇
#sustainablegardening #gardencolour #birdfriendlygarden
#gardenscience #hedges
@daviddomoney
