Himalayan Birch Betula utilis jacquemontii

QUESTION.
we wish to plant a copse of Betula “Snow Queen”. Could you advise us if it is preferable to plant bare rooted or potted trees.
Many thanks for assistance,
all the best,

Peter Hook

Hello Peter,

The advantage of planting bare root is that it is more economical and it is easier to transport the trees without heavy pots full of compost. The window for planting is short, though – it must be done while the trees are dormant (approx. Nov-Mar). The advantage of planting from pots is that you can plant at any time of year and you can choose your own trees in the nursery. I hope that helps you make a decision on which to use.

Hello
I have a courtyard garden and would like to plant a Himalayan birch in a pot as that is our only option, do you think this would be OK?

Dear Mary,

Himalayan birch is a medium-sized tree, so not really suitable for a pot as it would outgrow it very quickly. For pots and planters, stick with very small trees, or very slow growing ones. Even then, it is not easy to keep trees happy in containers for very long as they quickly become pot-bound and need lots of attention in the form of watering and feeding. Keeping trees in pots upright is another challenge!

What sort of soil is suitable for hi,alayan birch, how quikly will it grow and what sort of area will it take up I.e. how far from nearest tree?

Dear Raymond,

Himalayan birch will tolerate most soils, though it prefers well drained. After establishment it may put on about a foot a year, but growth rates depend on many factors so there is no definitive answer to this. Its ultimate spread can be 5-8m, but there is no reason why you cannot plant as close as 1m. Birches grow very close together in the wild.

I have a 4.5 metre garden width. I would like to plant 2 X Betula Jacgemontii each side of the entrance to the garden. Is this too little width?
Many thanks, great web sight.

Do you supply multi stemmed jacqumontee ?  Saw you nursery on Gardeners World.

Hello Pauline,

I’m glad you like our website. The trees themselves would be happy with 4.5 meters between them, but depeing on the size of the garden they may become very imposing over time.

Hello Ann,

We do have some but only very large ones in 150L pots at the moment I am afraid. If you send me an e-mail with you address I can give you a quote.

I am in the process of moving house to a semi-detached with a small back garden. The house is overlooked from the back and want to purchase a tree that won’t get too big but will mask the view from the neighbour’s upstais window. On Gardeners World, Monty Don has mentioned Himalayan Birch in the past. Do you have any suggestions? Would love a tree with all year round interest that birds & insects love. Kind regards.
Alison

Hello Alison,

Himalayan birch is a lovely tree and will certainly be good for wildlife, but depending on the size of your garden it might get a bit too big in time. Trees with berries are fantastic for birdlife, so you might want to consider something like Cotoneaster cornubia or Crataegus prunifolia Splendens, which would also do a good job of screening.

Can you please tell me if the roots of a Himalayen Birch tree spread out very much or go more or less straight down?  Thanks

Hello Eve,

Very few trees have roots that go straight down. Most often, the majority of tree roots tend to sit in the top two feet (60cm) of the soil. Their spread very much depends on conditions and site, but as a rule of thumb the roots spread as far as the tree is tall.

We had been looking at silver birch for planting in 6 zinc containerseach 55 x 55 x 54cm deep placed on a South facing terrace in our garden, but after reading your comments about BETULA UTILIS JACQUEMONTII, feel now that this might not be a good idea.  We are looking for summer foliage plus winter impact through colour or shape of bark.  We have considered bamboo, trained twisted stem willow and various eucalyptus.  I would be most grateful for your recommendations.

Regards

Hello Nicholas,

For containers, slow-growing or small trees and shrubs are generally best. In any case, you will need to keep up a strict watering and feeding regime to keep them going. Bear in mind that the container will also limit the longevity of the tree as it becomes pot bound. That said, you might consider the paperbark maple, Acer griseum, which is slow growing with an interesting bark and excellent autumn colour.

We have a coastal garden (Sussex). I would like to plant four Himalayan birches in the front garden (i.e. the side of the garden that does not face the sea). The garden is large and the house is three storeys high and I would like these trees to bring height and interest in the garden. would these trees cope with high winds and salt spray?Presumably they cope with wind but would they need to be staked?

Hello Rosie,

Himalayan birches will cope with a fair amount of wind, but they aren’t salt tolerant. However, you say that they would be planted in part of the garden that doesn’t face the sea, so I wonder if it would be sheltered enough for them in this location? You would certainly need to stake the trees for a few years while they establish. If you send through a photo of the site to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) we can take a look and suggest other trees for coastal conditions if you need an alternative.

Hi

Can we top a Himalayan birch at around 20 feet to stop it growing too tall?

Many thanks

Hello Laurence,

Birches don’t take very well to pruning, I’m afraid. If you need a tree that won’t grow more than 20ft, I would look at our small trees section. Amelanchier is a very nice small tree you could consider. The other option would be to opt for a tree that doesn’t mind being pruned, for example a Crataegus prunifolia Splendens.

What and when should I feed my Himalayan Birch?

Hello Chris,

When planting your tree, we recommend adding a few spadefuls of organic matter with the backfill soil. The tree planting compost we supply has a slow release fertiliser incorporated which will feed the tree for the next 12 months.

After the first year, you can apply a top dressing of fertiliser in late winter or early spring to help your trees along. Fertilisers are available from garden centres and DIY shops. Sprinkle the fertiliser around the rooting area and fork in to the soil, or apply as directed on the packet.

Established trees don’t usually need feeding, but if new shoots are sluggish (less than 10cm over the growing season) or the foliage pale, then you might want to consider an application.

Help…my Himalayan Birch is growing too big…I love it and don’t want to kill it..please can you advise can I chop off a large branch to give it a more upright growth..it is crowding my windows. I know they don’t like pruning but I’m going to have to risk it I think. Will this slow its root growth?

Thank you

Hello Kerry,

You’re right, they don’t take very well to pruning, but if you have no choice then take off any large branches in winter. It will leave a nasty scar and can spoil the overall shape, but sounds like you’re aware of this. Any reduction in the crown will have some effect on root growth, but if it’s just one branch it might not be significant.

Could you tell me why Himalyan Birch do not like pruning?

Thanks,

Hello, There are a number of reasons it’s best not to prune these trees. The first one is that if you prune to keep the height down it will effect the ultimate shape of the tree. They have a very elegant shape that is affected when they are pruned. The second main reason you need to be careful pruning Birch trees is that they are very prone to bleeding if pruned at the wrong time of year.

I have a beautiful Himalayan birch which I received as a special gift about 10 years ago.    I have just returned from holiday to find to my horror that deer have been eating the trunk and have left a very ugly scar roughly 12x6 inches right at the front of the tree.  I have now erected a wire fence around the tree which is not very attractive but hopefully will prove that it.Do you think it will recover and is there anything I can do to help heal the wound?      I would like to purchase another tree as a gift for my daughter.  With thanks. Ann Orr

Hello Ann,

I am sorry to hear your tree has been damaged. As long as the damage isn’t all the way around the trunk the tree should recover. I hope this helps to reassure you.

I have a multi stemmed Himalayan Birch tree that is now 2 years old but the trunk is still not white, more of a light brown, how long does it take to turn white?
Many thanks
Kind regards
Heather

Hello Heather,

With Himalayan Birch it should start to show a nice white bark by the time it is around 5 years old. Other birches can take a little longer