Betula pendula

silver birch

• Position: full sun or lightly dappled shade
• Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: fast-growing
• Flowering period: March
• Flower colour: yellowy-brown male catkins
• Other features: graceful pendant branches and attractive white bark
• Hardiness: very hardy
  
  Diamond-shaped, bright green leaves hang from graceful, pendant branches. It is a fast-growing tree with white, peeling bark that becomes marked with black, rugged cracks as it gets older. In spring, yellow-brown male catkins appear and in late autumn the foliage turns yellow before falling. It is one of the most widely used birches, grown for its narrow, conical shape and ability to grow in almost all soils and situations.
  
  All the Betulas we supply are single-stemmed, but they can be planted close together to creat a multi-stemmed effect.
  
  
• Garden care: Birches dont need much pruning, but you may want to remove any diseased or crossing branches. It is essential that any pruning work is carried out between late summer to mid winter as the sap will 'bleed' heavily at other times. When planting incorporate lots of well-rotted garden compost in the planting and stake well.
  
  
  • Eventual Height: 25m
  • Eventual Spread: 10m
  Betula pendula - silver birch Graceful white-barked tree