Silver Birch

Betula pendula, or the Common Silver Birch tree, is native to the UK and has white bark that develops diamond-shaped cracks towards the base as it matures. Due to its graceful and slender appearance, this tree is also known as “The Lady of the Woods.”

Betula pendula is a pioneer species, and even though it seems to grow everywhere in the UK, it is very difficult to transplant bare-rooted. However, our containerised trees counter this trend and do very well post-planting.

This large and vigorous Silver Birch tree grows well on most soils but is not well-suited to areas with compacted soil. At Barcham, we stock Betula pendula as a multi-stem and single-trunk tree.

The multi-stem specimens we supply are true coppices rather than three or four plants in a pot. Be wary of this, as multiple trees grown to form a multi-stem are unlikely to thrive long-term.

Multi-stemmed birch trees are particularly useful in exposed conditions, as the centre of gravity is much lower to the ground, which reduces the likelihood of physical damage from the whipping of the stems in the wind.

Betula pendula is a true woodland tree which requires plenty of space to grow; it is suitable for parklands and extensive gardens and is especially suited to schemes which aim for an ornamental feel with a native focus.

If you require a smaller Silver Birch, we produce a couple of extremely weeping clones, such as Betula pendula Youngii, which are more suited to smaller gardens.

Mature height: 7-12m

Please note that specimens 3 to 3.5 metres tall are supplied in 150-litre containers. 

Common names

Silver Birch

Height of tree

7-12m

Soil type

Well drained, Clay, Will tolerate most soil types

Shape

Multi-stemmed

Foliage Colour

Green

Information Flags

Bark interest, Native

Looks good in

Winter

Location

Parkland

Genus

Betula