Silver birch is a popular garden tree and often hybridises with our other native birch, the downy birch, Betula pubescens, which is more common in Scotland. Its bark is silver white with black fissures. It thrives in dry woodlands, downs and heaths. Their trunks are pale in colour with black notches that create deep, diamond shaped fissures along the white bark. The birch is not a wide tree so does not encroach on its surroundings. Characteristics. On this occasion we will not dedicate the article to talk in general about birch tree, but we will focus on specifically covering two of the most popular varieties, the River Birch and the Silver Birch. It's especially good at … Silver birch tree is a fast growing native tree.
A beautiful slender tree with distinctive silver bark and delicate weeping branches, the Silver Birch is one of the first to leaf in spring. Birch is a deciduous tree that reaches between 10 and 30 meters high, it is generally grown as an ornamental species for parks and gardens. Betula pendula, commonly called silver birch or European white birch, is a graceful medium-sized tree with slender pendulous branches and attractive bark. Golden brown on twigs and young branches, the bark matures to silvery white with black clefts. Female: Green and upright later pendulous. When to prune a silver birch tree. It flowers male and female catkins which are borne on the same tree, Male: Yellow drooping. Silver Birch Botanical Description: Silver Birch Trees are fast growing, attractive trees. Small delicate light green leaves turn a soft yellow in autumn. Fully hardy, growing in sun or semi shade Silver Birch will grow in most well … Birch timber is commonly used in furniture making, and for firewood. Silver Birch Tree – Betula pendula can grow up to 30m but is rarely seen above 20m.
Birch is a pioneer species, which is usually one of the first to colonise a site. Sap can be extremely dangerous for trees as it attracts bugs which bring disease and also lay their eggs around the pruning wounds. It has a green, triangular toothed edge leaf. Disease is bad news for pruning wounds because it can quickly spread throughout the tree, often with disastrous results. The silver birch is one of the most prolific bleeders of sap on waking from winter dormancy. Smooth in young trees, the bark gets rugged at the base in older trees. Tolerant of a range of temperatures, it grows as far south as Spain and as far north as Lapland. The silver bark of the birch tree gives great winter colour, making it a popular choice for both amenity and commercial situations.