inspired by a beech hedge

We used to live in a traditional red sandstone cottage. The front garden was surrounded by a very old beech hedge. I loved the way it marked the seasons: It kept its brown dead foliage through the winter and then in spring, the slim pointed buds would elongate, eventually unfurling into soft, silky bright green leaves. These would harden and darken as spring turned to summer. By the end of July, the hedge became straggly, putting out secondary growth with smaller, paler leaves. Now was the time to give it a short back and sides. The sweeping up of the leaves preceded the tidying up of garden flowers and shrubs. Autumn came earlier in the North of Scotland. I hardly noticed the leaves turning brown. When the snow fell in winter, the hedge was dense enough to carry its weight, the leaf-clad branches still able to give shelter to the birds.

The sun was shining on this beech hedge as I passed it this morning and I was struck by the variety of colours. The hedge contained a mixture of common beech and copper beech. I have always preferred the simplicity of a common beech hedge but this one certainly looked stunning.