I’m awaiting news on a possible promotion at work while not being entirely sure which way I want the result to go. Meanwhile, we’re also awaiting signs of life in some of the beech hedging plants that we have planted.

It’s our first ever hedge of note – 120 specimens of about 5 feet in height. We chose beech rather than a traditional evergreen because we revel in the changing of the seasons. Beech’s ability to hang onto its dead leaves (given the correct pruning regime – but more on that later) is what gives it its beauty. Maintaining that screening while submitting to winter’s pull. A defiant last stand.

In an ideal world we would have planted this during the autumn but the scheduling of the work that we were having done meant that these were planted in March. Cue one of the warmest and driest springs in recent years. So we water and we wait – and I wait for news on a promotion that I’m not sure I genuinely desire.

The ability of beech to retain its leaves is called marcesence (from the Latin marcesere, to wither). To maintain this special power beech needs to be clipped annually towards the end of August which keeps it in a juvenile state. If it is allowed to mature then it will become what it naturally wants to be – a tree that sheds its leaves.

Many of the plants have greened up to our relief but a good few refuse to lose their dead leaves and reveal new life. We continue to wait to see if they have survived the winter, the planting, the dry weather. A beech bud is an amazing thing – almost reptilian. The leaf hatches from what resembles a scaly cocoon and I examine the dormant (dead?) ones each day, wondering. But, with beech you can wait as long as July before abandoning hope.

The sense of secrets being exposed is found everywhere. As I examine the young beech hedging I notice the snowball flower of a physocarpus and a cluster of its tiny buds still waiting to pop. The garden truly reveals itself in May but beech is a stubborn character. Refusing to drop its leaves in winter and delaying coming into leaf in spring.

I consider my negative feelings on a promotion and what that reveals about me. A defiant last stand or a misguided desire to hold onto the dreams of youth.

Beech Hedging Tips

• Prune the lead buds (terminal buds) from newly planted hedges in the first couple of winters to encourage bushier growth.
• Prune established hedges each year at the end of August.