So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It’s when I’m weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood…

From Birches by Robert Frost

The birch tree is so much a part of Americana and so dear to the hearts of all Northern Midwesterners, it’s a pretty easy sell to suggest adding some to your landscape.  Mind, this is a full-sized tree and one that will send out roots from which spring a gathering of birches if left to their own devices.  In other words, it probably is not a suitable planting for a small suburban lot.  If you do have a bit of room, however, within a few years you can achieve a gorgeous stand of grey-white sentinels, rustling softly in the summer wind, gently presiding over the restrained winter landscape.  

About seventeen species of birch are native to North America.  They are rapid growing, reaching as much as 80 feet in height with a spread about half the height. Birches tend to colonize open ground, especially after a fire or other disturbance.  In general, they favor light, well-drained, acidic soils as are often seen as pioneer trees after a burn.  Of these seventeen, three species are most often used for landscaping: Yellow birch, River birch and Paper birch.

Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) is found across the Great Lakes into Minnesota.  It is easy to grow from seed and transplants well as is true of all three species.  It makes a fine shade tree but should be planted in a moist, sheltered site.  So, an area to the north or east of the house would be ideal.   Once established, the trunk and limbs display a shimmering silvery to copper gray exfoliating bark.  Try crushing the buds or stems.  They give off a strong scent of wintergreen!

River birch (Betula nigra) as the name implies is mostly confined to the flood plains and riverbanks of the Midwest.  The lower Minnesota River is a great place to look for them.   Unlike its sisters, it is primarily a southern Midwestern tree, cold-hardy up to USDA zone 4.  Also, it is susceptible to highly alkaline soils.  So, keep plantings away from streets and sidewalks with alkaline concrete deposits.  It’s not a street tree.  It looks great in clumps developing a charcoal grey trunk over time.  The younger bark is an attractive exfoliating white, with cream to salmon shades underneath.

Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is greatly prized for its stunning white bark.  It prefers the cooler Upper Midwest.  Unfortunately, many have fallen to the bronze birch borer.  Borer-resistant strains have been developed and should be sought in your local nursery.  Paper birch requires full sun and requires well drained soil.  It makes a dramatic mass planting on the edge of woodlands, its native niche.

So, take your pick, depending on your situation.  But a word of caution: don’t swing on them.  As Robert Frost once admitted, “It was almost sacrilegious, climbing a birch tree till it bent, till it gave and swopped to the ground, but that’s what boys did in those days”.  Plus ça change…

Photo credits: Forestryimages.org - All Creative Commons (1-3)