It is beautiful and slender and has a fascinating recognition value: the trees remain at least as unmistakable thanks to their white bark as they do to their resilient character. Here you can find out how you can plant the picturesque birch in the garden, as well as everything to do with optimal garden design. But first, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having your own birch in the garden?

Birch trees are attractive, low-maintenance trees for the garden

A birch in the garden: yes or no

Anyone who is still considering whether it is the right choice to plant a birch in your home garden will gain more clarity with the following pros and cons.

benefits

  • decorative ornamental tree in every season
  • undemanding in care, mainly needs a lot of light and water
  • Leaves, bark, buds and birch sap can be used for medicine and cosmetics
  • Foliage is very suitable for compost

disadvantage

  • You have to make sure that there are no allergy sufferers in the immediate vicinity
  • in autumn there are many leaves that are difficult to sweep up
  • after flowering in spring, the birch covers its surroundings with yellow pollen

The garden design with birches

If you want to design a new garden, you can set a wonderful focal point with a single birch. With the striking white trunk, the end of a visual axis or the center of the garden can be beautifully emphasized. Alternatively, you can create a poetic grove of birch trees by either buying multi-stem trees outright or simply planting a small group of three to five birch trees together. When planning, consider:

  • Birch trees are extremely light-requiring, so they need a location that is as free as possible with sufficient sunlight or sunny partial shade
  • In addition, there is a high water requirement, and the surrounding plants quickly lose out against the energetic shallow roots

Small species for the garden

With a height of up to 30 meters, the widespread silver birch is not suitable for every garden. Thanks to their smaller size, the following birch species fit perfectly even in smaller spaces:

  • Himalayan birch (Betula Utilis Jaquemontii): does not grow higher than ten meters
  • Golden birch (Betula ermanii): hardly taller than Himalayan birch, but even slimmer
  • Japanese birch (Betula japonica)

Preserving the beauty of the birch

In urban gardens, the beautiful white bark quickly gets a dirty greenish coating. It can therefore make sense to gently scrub the trunk with a brush or sponge if necessary. However, do without the high-pressure cleaner (€119.90) so as not to cause any damage. The preservation of the intense white color is not only for the more beautiful look, but also helps the birch with sun protection. Finally, the color reflects the light.

Category:

Trees