White birch is a vulgar name given to at least three uncouth birch rod metal money : American white birch ( Betula papyrifera , USDA zone 2 to 7 ) , also known as newspaper publisher birch and canoe birch ; European white birch ( Betula pendula , zones 2 to 7 ) , also know as silver birch ; and Nipponese white birch ( Betula platyphyllavar.japonica , zones 3 to 7 ) , also known as Asian white birch rod .
disregarding of species , these trees feature a rounded form when ripe with white birch bark that makes them stand out in any season , especially in autumn when the leaves rick vivid chickenhearted . The cold - tolerant snowy birch rise across most of the American North , from Labrador westwards to Alaska .
Size of White Birch Trees
livid birch is a medium - sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , with most growing 30 to 50 feet tall and sometimes up to 70 feet improbable . The trunk is typically about 1 to 2 feet wide-cut .
The leaves of a white birch tree may be elliptical or infield - shaped , around 2 to 4 inches long and 1 or 2 column inch in width . While most white birch trees exhibit an upright growth , the European white birch is noted for its drooping branches .
The manly and female flowers of birches , called ament , subsist on the same tree . On a white birch rod , the male catkins often grow in threes and are up to 4 inches long , with the female catkins one-half as long . The distaff ament germinate into a cylindrical cone about 1 1/2 inches long that disintegrate when right , spreading the seeds .
Characteristics of White Birch Bark
Look at a white-hot birch after about four or five spring up time of year , and you will remark that its red - brown barque has turned to a calcareous white . This is the most attractive aspect of a white birch .
The lily-white bark is papery in nature and you would be able to pare it off in striptease if you desire . chorus from doing so on living just specimen and take the barque from downed white birches to inspect it .
The old white birch tree bark has black patches — and if you were to strip away the white birch bark , you would mark the inner barque is a spook of orangish - brownish , reddish - brown or gray , depending on the species .
Best Location for a White Birch Tree
Select a spot for your white birch that is in full sun to fond shade , as this species does n’t thrive in full shade . In nature , white birch often takes over in subject areas after a fervency .
Plant a white birch in a moist but well - draining acidic soil , as birches require quite a little of water to grow . While this can be problematical , since full sun usually have dry conditions , tryplanting your snowy birchon the north or E side of your home , where good afternoon spectre can help keep the earth evenly moist .
Scout your attribute in the eye of a summer good afternoon for such a location long before bringing your white-hot birch seedlings home .
Tip
naturalised white birch seedling , count on the mintage , can be difficult to transplant , as the root are easily damaged . Iftransplanting a birchseedling elsewhere in the landscape painting , wet the stain first , then savvy it up with as big a root glob as possible . Avoid break up the soil around the beginning ; keep them wrap up with moist ground or blotto gunny . Move the white birch sapling as quickly as possible to its new fix , target it at the same floor in the soil and water exhaustively after embed .
Mulching White Birch Trees
It ’s prudent toplace mulch around a white birchas it grows , since this will husband any moisture in the earth near your tree . Rutgerscautions that over - mulching birch tree diagram , however , is a primary suit of destruction . Piling the mulch against the bole and/or in a too - mysterious stratum promotes decline of the barque and underlying tissues and suffocates shallow - rooted trees like birch rod .
Use an organic mulch such as forest chip , leaf compost or shredded bark . Place it around the base of operations of the tree no deeper than 3 inches , 3 to 5 inches from a sapling ’s stalk and 6 to 12 inches from a mature tree ’s trunk . Cover the soil in at least a 6 - human foot r on mature specimens and 3 foundation on new seedlings , or as far out as the outer edges of the canopy in heavy trees .
This prevent rival from weeds , exit of warmth from the undercoat around the tree diagram and potential collision between your lawnmower or smoke - eater and the birch tree ’s proboscis .
Water Needs of White Birch Trees
Keep the ground around your white birch moist during the growing time of year . Avoid a agenda of multiple short watering and prefer for one foresightful watering session weekly if there is a obtrusive deficiency of rain that create a dry scenario for the tree .
Lay a water hosepipe or a soaker hosiery down near the tree diagram where the piddle will flow over the soil and imbue down to the roots of your white birch rod . plough the hose on and let the water derive out easy for as long as two hours , until you may clean up a smattering of dirt near the birch rod and squeeze it into a ball with your hand . Reduce the amount of water you give your blank birch rod by late August .
