May 15, 2006 After spending two weeks out of the box and in morning sun, the little beech is not only growing, but is turning purple! The top picture, and the one at right were taken May 15th. The top right one was taken May 18th, and shows that the tree is enjoying the sunshine!

May 6, 2006 The beech arrived with the mail.

I ordered the tree from Forest Farm in Oregon. She shipped on April 27, and arrived nine days later, her leaves looking perfect, her soil still moist. I love that the tree tag has my name printed on it. It's as if the tree was meant for me.

May 6, 2006 Gregory is very excited and a little bit nervous about his first tree planting project.

I left the tree buried in some mulch and leaves under the October Glory red maple and in front of the arborvitae for a few days before I moved the beech to her new pot. I didn't want to move her too soon after she'd spent so long in the box. And I wanted her to get used to the air here before I messed around with her roots.

May 9, 2006 Our neighbor, Kathryn, helped on planting day.

May 9, 2006 Above, remnants of the winter leaf coverings; right, the grafting site. What is the purple paint for? If I find out, I'll let you know!

May 11, 2006 Undersides of the leaves are more purple than the tops, for now.

I can't get over how healthy this little sapling looked after spending nine days in that box. Those people at Forest Farm -- I can't help wondering if they knew this tree was destined for world wide internet fame. Or perhaps they take special care of all their trees. I hope they do, and I must say, I am impressed. Note: Forest Farm is not an advertiser on this site. This is, as always, my unbiased, honest opinion.

July 31, 2006 And summer isn't even over yet.

For Julie's detailed comments, see the Dawyck Purple Beech detailed facts page See the Dawyck Purple Beech growth chart Read the latest Tree Grower's Diary blog entry