Where is the oldest Copper Beech tree in Europe and how old is it?
The Biggest… North-east of Perth, en route to Blairgowrie on the A93, stands the Meikleour Beech Hedge, credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world. One-third of a mile long, this dense hedge was planted in 1745 using seedlings that are now 100 feet (30 m) high. The Oldest… At the head of Glen Lyon, in the local churchyard of Fortingall stands what is perhaps the oldest tree in Europe. The yew tree needs some support to its gnarled branches, which is no surprise, given that it may be up to 3000-years-old. There are plenty of other tall trees around, with some fine specimens around Pitlochry, for example, but if you want more British record breakers, then Diana’s Grove at Blair Castle has some monsters. The plantings here are really a kind of pinetum, a 19th-century gardening fashion which really took off as a result of Douglas’s introductions. At least twenty trees here reach 150 feet (45.7 m) or more. The Tallest… Around the River Braan, near Dunkeld, th
