Your budget will no doubt guide your choice. 9-15m. The slightly darker, rougher toned Betula albosinensis (sometimes written Betula albo-sinesis) is a vigorous faster-growing tree from Western China. USDA 4a-6b. Forms a medium-sized tree and has very glossy leaves. B. alleghaniensis, B. dahurica and B. nigra are excellent choices for damp (but not waterlogged) soils, but site away from frost pockets and provide shelter from cold winds. Horticulturist Christina Jones gives her recommendations. 14-20m. 9-15m. As well as their slender form, Birch trees let the sunlight through with their airy foliage and many have gorgeous bark, catkins and autumn colour. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. A good alternative to the stark whites, ermanii has freely peeling bark with creamy, pink-orange tones. Try 12 issues of Saga Magazine for just £12.95 and enjoy a world of benefits when you subscribe. AGM. If you’re looking for precise, true-to-type features, then it is best to select from mature trees that already show that trait. jacquemontii). Medium-sized and slender, with a lightly spreading crown, this tree is ideal for broadscale, naturalistic plantings. It’s a very natural shape and ideal for a smaller garden that only has room for one tree. For this reason, spring-flowering plants are more-suited as understorey plants because they can perform before dry conditions take hold. A particularly lovely birch with peeling, creamy-white bark and elongated lenticels. However, most birches are shallow rooted and these surface roots can dry out the ground. View. Filters. The bark of birch trees comes in many more colours and textures than you might think and has a haunting beauty. With arguably the darkest bark of all, this Himalayan birch looks as if it’s sculpted from smooth, dark chocolate. AGM. The second British native is downy birch, Betula pubescens. Most nurserymen will go on to name the second most popular tree as Betula utilis var. The heart-shaped leaves are larger and they colour up to butter-yellow in autumn. Give your garden a makeover and save money at the same time with a special Thompson and Morgan offer of 10% off. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. This is our carefully selected range of the smallest birch trees available. / 26 October 2012 Less showy than its white cousins, but shares the same vigour. This contrasts brilliantly against the dark tracery of twiggy branches overhead and in winter these trees can look like finely chiselled charcoal sketches. By entering your details, you are agreeing to Gardens Illustrated terms and conditions and privacy policy. 9-15m. Dark, glossy green leaves turn a good butter-yellow in autumn. Birch trees are popular garden trees due to their decorative trunks and dainty foliage that lets dappled sunlight through, Himalayan birch (Betula utilis var. Cultivars valued for their bark colour can be gently pressure-washed to remove algae and lichen. Silver birch and Himalayan birch are both available as columnar 'Fastigiata' varieties, which have a much smaller spread than other bird trees and are ideal for smaller gardens. Benefits: wildlife-friendly, good for damp soil. But with more than 60 known species, and numerous cultivars now widely available, Betula is anything but a one-dimensional blonde. A rare and extremely handsome cultivar of B. utilis. One also could do worse than be a planter of birches. You can plant young bare-root trees when they are dormant, between November and February, as long as the ground is frost-free. USDA hardiness rating 4a-7b. Mountain birch (Betula nana) is a slow growing dwarf birch usually found in the tundra, but it is not common or easily available for gardens. Silver Birches can brighten a garden during the winter Silver birches are among the best trees for small gardens since they never produce too dense … March 2018. Many of the characteristics of birch don’t show themselves in saplings, so you need to be very careful when choosing your tree. 12-18m. Benefits: wildlife-friendly, easily available. Expect to see the following options (listed by increasing quality and value): bare root (soil shaken from roots when harvested), rootball (supplied with soil around roots), plastic-container grown, bagged (grown, or stabilised in bags for at least four months) or grown in Air-Pots (containers designed to promote fibrous roots). For broadscale planting of woodlands, buying saplings in bulk is likely to be the most practical option. We are here for you. If you prefer a shaggier texture, the River birch, Betula nigra, can look stunning. 9-12m. This will result in several smaller trunks and the resulting tree will be roughly a third shorter. Prepare the ground well and dig in some bone meal. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/fast-growing-trees-to-grow Silver birch and Himalayan birch are both available as columnar 'Fastigiata' varieties, which have a much smaller spread than other bird trees and are ideal for smaller gardens. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation. The bark, which takes two to three years to fully develop, is a lovely pale colour with hints of warm orange and rosy red that appear to almost glow. USDA 6a-9b. Small Birch Trees These Birch tree have been selected for their small or slender habit, making them well suited to smaller gardens or for limited areas in larger gardens. Slender with a lightly spreading crown. New shoots on downy birch feel hairy to the touch. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b. 9-12m. The rich, glossy, dark chocolate-brown bark peels freely into spectacular, fine sheets of copper orange. The trunk is a pink-toned coppery cream and the finest form, ‘Grayswood Hill’, has thickly-textured foliage that’s a vibrant-green in summer (up to 30 ft, 5-10m). Also known as yellow birch. Slender and conical in shape, with good yellow autumn foliage. Choose either deep-pink Cyclamen coum, or dusky hybrid hellebores or purple crocus - keeping the planting simple. A multi-stemmed variety will create an impact and are well-suited to small gardens without room for multiple trees, while a weeping variety with have the spread without the height. A young tree can be trained into a multi-stemmed specimen if the main leader is pruned out. B. papyrifera and B. pubescens are notably vigorous and robust, performing well on inhospitable sites.