I love me some River birch (Betula nigra), in my case, ‘Heritage’ River birch. This is a true four season tree and it really shines most when it is needed – the winter.
The exfoliating bark truly stands out when the ground is covered in snow:
The cinnamon colored peeling bark has such an interesting color and texture, it makes you want to inspect it up close and run your fingers all over it. My three trees are relatively young (2 years) so I look forward to watching the development of the bark as the trees age.
But it isn’t all about the bark. I truly enjoy watching this tree first leaf out in spring:
And the development of the catkins (as I’ve learned, the ones in the photo below are apparently female and turn to fruit which is filled with seeds desired by many birds – much more to read and research for me):
As the tree leafs out fully, the aforementioned birds begin to inhabit and seek out the seeds?:
While the River birch isn’t known for it’s big blooms or colorful leaves, it still has a fantastic shape (especially while young) that looks great all summer:
The fall color of the River birch, while fleeting, is a fantastic yellow that contrasts well with all of the red fall color from other trees and shrubs:
But once again, when all is said and done, that beautiful peeling bark steals the show:
Some final quick tidbits:
- Reaches an ultimate height in the 40-70 foot range
- Is a native of the eastern US and typically can be found in swampy areas and flood plains
- As you can imagine, prefers wet soil based on it’s native habitat and that is music to my ears
- Prefers and will really only thrive in full sun
- Survives in zones 4-9
- Deciduous tree that seems to lose it’s leaves early in the fall
- Both single and multi-trunk options exist and I definitely prefer the look of multiple trunks
John
They are a great tree, had four of them at my last home. They were planted in a swale and loved it.
Eileen
Always loved the birch trees on the river a mile behind our house (when I was a kid)! Just as you describe…the bark shedding is beautiful as are the yellow leaves! I believe the Native Americans made birch bark canoes…that would involve some pretty large pieces of birch bark…so I guess it’ll be awhile before you’ll be putting together your canoe?! 😉
I have the perfect place to plant one of these beauties, if I can convince hubby to dig up a sago palm.
Silver world in winter is good, while I prefer green spring more, more vigorous in my eyes
Naturally, this is one of my favorite trees for the exact same reason, the peeling bark. They add such character to the landscape and can be very useful trees as well.
Great shots of one of my favorite trees. Its really the only verietry of Birch that can take the brutal dry and hot summers in nashville without defoiliating or completely browning out.
I love the River Birch tree, John! We have had them at previous homes but we don’t have any now. Something I would love to add to our yard!
How funny! I did a post yesterday on tree barks I found interesting and then here is your post! I love that River Birch- how beautiful!!!! It won’t grow here- it needs too much water. Beautiful post!!!
Oh, another case of “zone envy”! River Birch is the generic builder tree in Atlanta, and they are next to impossible to contain in our heat and humidity. Having grown up in NH, I always long for white birch, which won’t grow here….ah, well, the grass is always greener! My favorite thing about river birch is that I can admire its beauty in YOUR garden!
Hi John, thanks for your comment on my blog. I’m loving your birch photo’s, especially the close up of the peeling bark, such intense colour.
I was wondering if you might add your garden to Folia the online gardening website (it’s free). I’m always looking to encourage more gardeners to join and am having an extra push this week while the weather is keeping most people indoors.
It’s a great resource for gardeners and has helped me keep on top of my 800+ plantings with photo’s, notes, journals, milestones etc. They have an extensive plant wiki and a seed stash section where people can also list seeds for swapping. Here’s the link to my Folia page so you can see how it works: http://www.myfolia.com/gardener/CDfolia/invite.
I like River Birch, a lot. I don’t have any in my garden, but there are a number of them along the shoreline. I love finding native trees in their native setting.
Another great bark tree is Acer griseum, zones 4-8.
I’ve seen different information on how tall the heritage grows. Some say up to 40′ others say up to 70′. I want a smaller version. can you direct me?
Pls respond to : swopes123@aol.com
like these trees myself, year round interest like you say, I’ve never actually seen one above 60′ probably not even 50′. lovely species overall.
Hi, I read all the posts and John’s is a really beautiful description. I am looking for something more.. I would like to know if there is any cleaning problem due to falling of fruits? I would appreciate if anyone can help emailing me the answer at rsyed5@hotmail.com.