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Sunday, February 10, 2013

{Our Beech Trees with their Fortitude and Perseverance}


Yes, in our wood garden we do have several Beech Trees, Fagus grandiflora. I would love for you to meet them and see some of their symbolic meaning, like Fortitude and Perseverance. The beech is called the Queen of the forest; fine and graceful. The beech symbolizes female wisdom and attention, warmth and comfort, fortitude and vigilance. In the Celtic culture the beech was symbol for creativity and good taste. For the Germans the beech was dedicated to the goddess Freya, goddess of marriage and fertility. In German the name for beech is Buche and the name for book in German is Buch. Maybe because of the ancient carving names in the bark of beech trees?
The beech is symbol for:
Wisdom and attention
Warmth and comfort
Fortitude and vigilance
Creativity
Perseverance
The beech with its leathery leaves and bark signifies endurance. It is also connected with death because of its relationship with the Gods Hades and Cybele. The beech tree is the emblem for Denmark and symbolizes prosperity, divination and immortality. No wonder that in The Netherlands they often used beech hedges around the cemeteries. 
The beech tree surely symbolizes immortality or lasting life as they do hold on to their leaves through winter. They persist and turn into a nice tan color after their golden bronze fall color. From The Deep Rooted Symbolism of Trees: Beech tree symbolism - tolerance, past knowledge, softens over criticism.
During winter time it is quite a show to have all these beautiful leaves still on the Beech trees. Sad fact will be that both of us will not live to see them bear fruit as they only do that at the age of 50! A beech tree reaches easily 100 years of age and there are several beech trees from 300 years. As a child we often went to the woods with my Dad to search for beech nuts! Dad knew always a spot where there was a huge beech tree.
They only will drop their leaves when new ones come...
Like a symbol of lasting life!
This beech tree is growing closer towards the street side, you can see through about mid photo.
Another one in the center of our wood garden.
Photos are taken on January 21, 2013.
This one has a perfect shape and that is more to the left in our wood garden, viewed from the house.
I had to remove that big branch that was hanging in the beech tree. Storms do break off weak limbs from taller trees and we always need to collect fallen branches.
Do you have a beech tree, or a beech hedge?

13 comments:

  1. Hello my dear friend Mariette,
    This post is very interesting, I love the symbology of the tree, for me it is very refreshing to read your blog, because there is always something new that I learn here, and since I'm learning gardening this is awesome.
    Thanks for your sweet comments in my blogs, we are truly enjoying being Canadinas.
    Send you a big hug
    con cariño,
    Laura :)

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  2. a tree i am not very familiar with.

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  3. Lieve Mariette,

    Fantastisch hoe jij hier de symboliek achter de beuk beschrijft.
    En wat staat de beuk bij jullie in de tuin statig en mooi te wezen.


    De beuk heeft een dicht bladerdak waar bijna geen licht doorheen dringt. Zij roept daarom gevoelens van geborgenheid, veiligheid en betrouwbaarheid op.
    Daarnaast is het een ‘sociale’ boom: onder de grond houden de beuken elkaars wortels vast.
    De beuk staat daarom symbool voor bescherming, een goede familieband, traditie en verbondenheid.
    En dat laatste.....daar houden jullie en wij ook zo van hé ☺☺☺!!!

    Fijne zondag en lieve groeten uit een witte wereld in het Brabantseland.
    Ger

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  4. Dearest Mariette,
    I like have a beach tree like a symbol of lasting life.
    You having us always many things with beautiful idea thank you very much.

    Hugs and love to you always!

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  5. Liebe Mariette,

    du schenkst Tag für Tag viel Freude.

    Frohe Sonntagsgrüße

    Elisabeth

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  6. Linda árvore, folha e fotos! Aprendi contigo sobre ela! beijos,chica

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  7. Dearest Mariette;
    Wow, you taught us a lot today, my dear specialist of garden. I've never heard of these rich hidden meanings beech tree has. Among those things I checked about "the Gods Hades and Cybele" you mentioned. Hades is the god of the underworld; it sure makes us understand that beech tree is used hedges around the cemeteries in the Netherlands☆☆☆ Never thought about spiritual meaning trees have!
    Thank you very much for sharing the important information.

    Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan to my tutor friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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  8. Dear Mariette,
    I love your garden, wow! there's a lot of it!
    I didn't know that it takes so long to give fruits, (beukennootjes)
    We used to collect them and eat the nuts in Holland.
    Thanks for letting us know more about that wonderful tree, also Ger's info was great!
    Groetjes,
    Angela.

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  9. Hello Mariette, I always have a special fondness for beech trees. Northern Ohio has a background of Maple-Beech forest, and in fact the city I was born in (near Cleveland) was named Beachwood after them. Supposedly, the spelling is different because there already was a Beechwood, but no one really seems to know.
    --Road to Parnassus

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  10. We have a lot of them in Sweden and they have a beautiful green color in the spring.

    Hugs

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  11. Such a pretty woodland area you have in your garden Mariette and such a variety of trees. It keeps amazing me!

    Happy new week,

    Madelief x

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  12. I have never heard of a beech tree but it does look ok love the photos of it

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  13. Dear Mariette,such a very preety tree!Your garden is amazing!Full of beauty!I don't know about this tree,we don't have them,the climate is different here.Wishing you a lovely week!Hugs!
    Dimi..

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Mariette...