Weeping Beech

A legacy Weeping Beech

As the story goes, this Weeping Beech was planted about 75 years ago by the horticultural legend Doc Whitmore. It has grown into a majestic being, with a wingspan over 100 feet. About 10 years ago, during a renovation of both house and garden, the landscape designer envisioned the driveway encompassed by a tunnel of these pendulous weeping branches. 

The challenge: The driveway was 30 feet away from any branches capable of forming such a tunnel. Careful root pruning and dormant season canopy pruning began, resulting in the formation of a partial canopy over the driveway; now, a decade later, a distinctive tunnel has been trained, to stunning effect. The best is yet to come as the already impressive breadth of the tunnel continues to expand along with the tree’s growing stature.