Silver birch best value for garden impact

Jan 19 2008 by Andrew Flynn, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

OF all the winter trees, our native silver birch and its close relatives must be the best value for garden impact.

There are more than 60 species of Betula from across the temperate and Arctic zones of the Northern Hemisphere, although we usually only see three or four species commonly planted in this country.

Our native silver birch, Betula pendula, is very variable in its habit, often defying its species name and having an almost upright appearance. It may take 10 years or more to show its silver bark on older wood and, viewed from a distance, a local birch and oak woodland will show you the other side of our native birches, with their younger bare winter branches showing up as a purple haze across the tops of the trees.

As a specimen tree in the garden, the birch not only has the delight of silver or white bark in winter but displays a delicacy of foliage and stems that few other trees can provide.

As the trees mature and start to produce their male and female flowers, the resulting seeds provide a useful alternative source of food for our smaller seed-eating garden birds, adding another dimension to the value and interest that these trees can produce. Watch out as rooks, magpies and jackdaws tear off thin branches over the next month or two to use as nesting materials!

In recent years the most popular form of birch has been Betula utilis var. jacquemontii with its almost pure white bark, even on younger stems that peel back to a soft apricot colour. The tree tends to have a slightly upright habit, although, because this tree is a natural variation on Betula utilis, this does vary. Some specimens will be sold as multi-trunked, given the illusion that the tree has been coppiced and regrown with three or four stems.

Our native birch has given rise to a number of interesting variations for you to look out for. B. p. ‘Dalecarlica’, the Swedish birch, has finely divided leaves that give an even more delicate appearance than the species. For something very different to use as a focal point in the garden, why not try B. p. ‘Purpurea’ with its purple leaves – it may need more TLC than most but is worthwhile when you see a good specimen. Finally, why not look out for B. p. ‘Youngii’, the weeping birch, with a white trunk and a wonderful weeping head.

There are three holders of National Collections of Betula for you to visit: Royal Botanical Gardens Kew – Wakehurst Place – www.kew.org, 01444 894050; Hergest Croft Gardens – www.hergest.co.uk, 01544 230160; Stonelane Gardens – www.stonelanegardens.com, 01647 231311.