Silver birch(Betula pendula) is a decorative and extremely easy to grow species. This picturesque tree with an openwork crown has been widely used both in urban green areas and in large and small gardens. Meet interestingvarieties of silver birchfor planting in gardens and find out what arerequirements for silver birchas to growing conditions.
Silver birch - Betula pendula
Fig. pixabay.com
What does warty birch look like?
Papillary birch is a tall treegrows up to 30 m high with long, flexible, hanging shoots. The pure form of Betula pendula is rarely used in garden plantings, butlow varieties of warty birchhave become sought-after garden plants.
Leaves of warty birch can be triangular or diamond-shaped, with pointed ends and serrated edges. The shoots are covered with small warts, which gave the species its name. Male (light yellow) and female (light brown) flowers develop at the ends of the shoots in spring.The bark of young warty birch treesis brown and turns white with age. In older specimens, it is divided by deep cracks. The root system is usually shallow and highly branched. Tall birch trees sometimes lack sufficient stability in strong winds.
Papillary birch - varieties
Along with the birch fashion, there are more and more interesting varieties of this tree.Particularly popular arevarieties of warty birch with hanging shootsand with unusual foliage, such as heavily indented or purple leaves. A large part of garden birch varieties grows up to about 10 m in height, but you can also find short varieties growing only up to 2 m.Dwarf varieties of silver birchare very popular. Low-growing trees are an ideal solution for small plots of land, for rock gardens, they look great in combination with conifers, trees and ornamental shrubs, such as: barberry, willow, spruce, thuja, larch or red currant.
Here are interestingvarieties of silver birch :
Papillary birch 'Youngii'- can grow to a height of 2 to 8 m. Branches are directed from the trunk horizontally and arched, shoots fall to the ground, creating an umbrella-shaped tree. Light green in spring, turns golden in fall. They contrast beautifully with the smooth, white bark. This birch tree can be planted singly as a solitaire on the lawn, in groups with trees, shrubs and perennials, and also near water bodies.
Papillary birch 'Trost's Dwarf'- is a short variety reaching a maximum of 2 m in height. Crown of loose shape, does not produce the main shoot. Made of slightly overhanging shoots. The atypical leaves are very heavily cut, in autumn they take on a grayish shade.
Papillary birch 'Schneverdinger Goldbirke'- this variety has intense yellow-green leaves. The tree grows up to 10 m high and 4-5 m wide. It has a loose and quite narrow crown. It grows slowly. Young shoots are yellow-green, turning red in spring. The bark is very decorative, dark on young shoots, then white and smooth.
Papillary birch 'Purpurea'- has purple leaves. In spring, young leaves are red, but with time they become darker in shade. The smooth white bark of the trunk contrasts beautifully with the dark foliage. The tree grows up to 10 m tall and has a loose, conical crown.
Papillary birch 'Dalecarlica'- is a variety with unusual, extremely decorative leaves.Deeply cut, with irregular, sharply toothed flaps, light green leaves turn yellow in autumn. The tree grows up to about 20 meters. It has an irregular crown with overhanging shoots.
Papillary birch 'Fastigiata'- has a narrow columnar crown. It grows up to 10 m in height. Its stiff, erect shoots are directed upwards. Small leaves, green in spring, turn yellow in autumn. The species is perfect for lines.
Papillary birch 'Golden Cloud'- has lemon yellow leaves. It grows up to 10 m in height, but is a slow-growing variety and in 10 years it reaches about 5 m. It has a compact and columnar crown, but the tips of the shoots overhang. The best position for this variety will be partial shade, which will reduce the risk of sunburn on delicate leaves.
Papillary birch 'Bibor'- this is quite a large tree, up to 10 m high and 5 m wide. The crown takes on a regular, columnar shape. Decorative purple leaves are elongated, notched, with sharply serrated edges. The white bark is slightly peeling.
Silver birch - Betula pendula
Fig. Karelj, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Silver birch - requirements
Birch is an eminently photophilic species , although some varieties tolerate shade. It can grow almost anywhere. Most often, however, it occurs on light, moderately moist soils, mainly on clay sands. On very poor, dry, acidic and waterlogged soils, it takes the form of a shrub. There are no requirements regarding the pH of the soil.
Papillary birch can withstand both very high and low temperaturesThis tree belongs to the frost resistance zone of plants 2. The developing buds can withstand temperature drops, even down to -4 ° C, so frosts are harmless to them.
Papillary birch is a species sensitive to air pollution , therefore it should not be planted near roads or strongly industrialized.On the other hand, plants tolerate soil contaminated with heavy metals well.
Papillary birch - planting
The planting date for silver birchdepends on the type of seedlings you buy. Plants sold in pots can be planted from spring to autumn, while bare-root cuttings are planted during the dormant period when there are no leaves on them. It is best to plant them in November or early March.
When planting warty birchtake into account the target size of the tree. Large specimens are planted at a distance of 4-5 meters from each other and from the buildings. The recommended distance between dwarf birch varieties is 1.5 to 2 meters.
The rules for planting birches are simpleDig a hole in a sunny place and sheltered from strong winds. Then it is good to mix the dug up soil with peat and compost or leaf soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. If the soil is heavy, coarse sand may be added to improve permeability.
Place the plant in the hole so that the root neck is at ground level. Sincethe root system of the warty birch is shallow , the trees should be staked. For the same reason, young plants should be watered regularly to prevent the substrate from drying out. It is recommended to mulch the soil around plantings with compost or garden bark. This will help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Birch trees are sensitive to heat and drought only in the first year after planting.
Papillary birch - cut
Birch does not tolerate pruning.The sap flows out of damaged shoots, which weakens the plants. Therefore, if necessary, it is best to prune after the juicing period, when the first leaves have emerged from the tree. The bestpruning date for warty birchis in the summer. You can also cut in winter, but avoid frosty days. We remove all diseased, infected and withered shoots.We also cut the lowest ones and remove the crossing shoots.
Tall birch varietiescan be grown in such a way as to reduce their size a bit from the very beginning. To do this, shorten the guide and trim the remaining branches in the place from which young shoots grow.
Low stem varieties of warty birchcan be left without pruning if we want to obtain their natural form. You can also try to delicately form the crown. For this purpose, we stake a young tree. Then, depending on the expected effect, we remove the lower and weak branches and shorten those that grow beyond the outline of the crown. After a few years, when the tree has the desired shape, the stake can be removed.
One cannot forgetweeping forms of warty birch , grafted onto rootstocks. In their case, shoots knocking out of the rootstock are regularly cut. You can also trim the branches at one level to create a regular umbrella shape.
For more information onhow to prune birchesand many other beautiful trees and shrubs, as well as detailed pruning instructions along with drawings, see our fantastic Cutting School book. The cutting of warty birch is detailed in this book.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
