Yellow birch

Yellow birch: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad, rounded to oval crown; about 18 m tall and 10 m wide.

Bark

Glossy golden-brown to bronze on young trees, later grey-brown and peeling in thin curls.

Leaves

Oval, 6–12 cm, with a doubly toothed edge; dark green, golden yellow in autumn.

Flowers

Male catkins that lengthen in April, with small female catkins; no showy flower.

Roots

Branching and fairly shallow: it likes cool, moist soil.

Flowering: April · Plants: March–April and October–December · Pruning: August

Why grow it?

• Beautiful, glossy bark that peels in curls and stays decorative all winter.
• Intense golden-yellow autumn colour in October.
• Tolerates some shade and moist soil, where many large trees struggle.
• A light canopy: plenty of underplanting can grow beneath it.
• A valuable tree for insects and birds, which eat the seeds and buds.

Yellow birch: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it also tolerates some light shade, especially in a cool spot.
• Moist, humus-rich soil: sand or loam, acid to neutral. On chalky soil the leaves may turn yellow.
• Normal to wet soil; it tolerates drought and heat poorly.
• Plant at least 6–8 m from buildings, pipes and paving, and allow for a crown 10 m wide.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

18 m tall, 10 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -40 °C)

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Likes the same acid, moist soil and light shade beneath the canopy.
• Male fern: A fresh woodland underplanting that tolerates shade and cool soil.
• Wood anemone: Flowers in spring before the leaves open and fits the woodland look beautifully.
• Hosta: Large leaves for the shady edge under the tree.

Yellow birch: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–December.

1. Plant in March–April or from October to December, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep.
3. Set the tree at the same depth as it stood in its pot or at the nursery, and backfill with the soil you dug out, mixed with a spadeful of compost.
4. Add a stake and tie the trunk loosely with a tree tie; remove the stake after 2–3 years.
5. Water generously straight away and spread a 5–8 cm layer of wood-chip or bark mulch around the base, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Care

Water

In the first two summers, water thoroughly every week in dry spells. After that it usually looks after itself, but extra water in long droughts is welcome.

Feeding

Usually unnecessary. On poor soil, apply a layer of compost under the canopy in spring.

Mulching

Keep the soil around the tree covered with wood chips or leaf mould: cool and moist suits the roots best.

Staking

Tie a young tree to a stake for 2–3 years; check the tie each year so it does not cut into the bark.

Leaves

Leave fallen leaves as a natural mulch or turn them into leaf mould.

Tip: Do not plant it in a dry, sunny, hot spot: it is a tree of cool, moist soil and soon suffers in heat. Place it so the bark is clearly visible in the winter sun.

Yellow birch: when to prune it?

Pruning months: August.

When: Prune as little as possible; if needed, in August, when the leaves are fully grown.

How:

• Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches.
• Cut small branches just outside the branch collar, never flush with the trunk.
• Train a young tree to a single leader and remove the lowest branches gradually, over several years.
• Never remove more than a fifth of the crown in one year.

Caution: Do not prune in spring, when the sap is rising: birches bleed heavily then. It is not dangerous, but it is unsightly and weakening.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow fresh seed in autumn outdoors in a tray of light, moist soil, or chill it (cold stratification) and sow in spring. The seed ripens in September–October.

Nursery

Selected forms are grafted; seed always gives variation. For a handsome tree, simply buy a good young specimen from a nursery.

Yellow birch: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −40 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −40 °C: no winter protection is needed in Belgium.
• In winter the glossy bark looks its best. Use it as a focal point in an open spot.
• A young tree gets a layer of mulch around its base in a hard winter; once mature it is very robust.

Diseases and pests

• Yellow leaves in summer: Usually drought or chalky soil. Water generously in dry spells; on chalky soil, add an acidic leaf-mould mulch or find another spot.
• Aphids and honeydew: Sticky leaves and black sooty mould in summer. Ladybirds and tits usually clear them up, and the tree recovers by itself.
• Birch rust: Small orange dots under the leaves, especially in wet summers. Usually harmless; rake up fallen leaves in autumn.
• Bleeding sap: Wet, sticky wood after spring pruning. Avoid it by pruning in summer.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Check the ties on young trees.
• March: Planting still possible. Refresh the mulch.
• April: Catkins open. Water young trees in dry weather.
• May: Leaves fully out. Check the mulch.
• June: Water young trees during dry spells.
• August: Prune if needed. Remove dead branches.
• September: Seed ripens and falls.
• October: Golden autumn colour. Planting can begin again.
• November: Plant. Leave the leaves or turn them into leaf mould.
• December: Plant while the soil is not frozen.

Did you know?

• Yellow birch is the provincial tree of Quebec in Canada.
• The wood is hard and heavy and is used in North America for furniture and flooring.
• Yellow birch is one of the largest birch species in North America and can live for 150 years or more.