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Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 4-9
- Spacing: 25-30'
- Exposure: Sun/Part Shade
- Deer Resistant: Yes
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Heritage® River Birch - single stem
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Birch trees are renowned for their beautiful bark, and Heritage® River Birch is no exception. All year long, its shaggy, peaches-and-cream-colored bark will be a standout in your landscape. Planting this fast-growing tree at one or more corners of your home is a classic way to frame your house and soften its edges. Landscape lighting adds extra drama at night. Have a low spot in your yard that stays soggy? Don’t go through all the effort of digging a French drain—plant a River Birch tree instead! This adaptable tree will happily soak up the extra moisture, though it doesn’t require wet soil to thrive.
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 4-9
- Spacing: 25-30'
- Exposure: Sun/Part Shade
- Deer Resistant: Yes
- Show more ›
The Story
Earl Cully, a nurseryman from Jacksonville, Illinois noticed an unusual cultivar of birch growing at a residence in St. Louis, Missouri. He made two more trips to St. Louis before he asked the homeowner if he could take some cuttings of the tree. Because of the lovely white peeling bark, he thought it was a hybrid of Paper bark Birch and River Birch. After years of study they concluded that the tree he discovered was an unknown cultivar of the native river birch and he was awarded the patent in 1979.
The Details
You'll be crying a river when you see this beautiful Birch! The creamy white bark starts to peel at a young age, exposing shades of salmon and brown, which darken as the tree matures. This fast-growing selection of the native River Birch displays glossy green leaves throughout summer that turn to golden yellow in fall. They are best grown as multi-stemmed trees and are suitable for areas prone to being wet a good part of the year. Winner of the Gold Medal Plant Award from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, chosen for its outstanding performance, hardiness and eye-appeal.
How to Grow
River Birch is usually grown in a clump form, but maybe a clean, simple single-trunk is more your style. And why not? Sometimes a “traditional” tree habit is what you’re after, and Heritage® grows perfectly fine that way, too. It’s a fast-growing tree—even faster in moist soil, like in that troublesome low spot in your yard. It’s adaptable and easy-to-please, equally at home in places that have -25°F winters and 90°F summers—or both! Heritage® River Birch won’t even complain if a bit of rock salt is shoveled its way.
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Questions & Answers
I have a five year old River Birch planted about 8-10 feet away from my house and my neighbor's. In the past year, several large surface roots have appeared between our houses. Is there any reason to be concerned that the roots will cause foundation damage?
As the Heritage Birch is a fast growing, tall Tree (50' tall by 30' wide), they are prone to surface roots so you should expect to see more appear. With that being said, it is unlikely that the roots will cause damage to a solid foundation. If there are existing faults (cracks) in the foundation, the roots could find their way in and add to that damage of a number of years. Unfortunately, we are unable to give you a definitive - yes/no - answer on this question as there are too many variables that could come into play.
Also, I planned to cut it back to about 20' tall in the Fall to keep the limbs below the roofline. Will that damage the Tree? Thank you in advance for your help!
As we said above, this Tree will be about 50' tall when mature. So yes, this will cause a great deal of stress to the Tree - however, we have seen it done before. The best time to do this would right now - early/mid July. The second best time to do it is in late Fall.
You should know that the Tree's response to this will be to create new leaders in order to replace the lost crown, so this will be a job that is necessary every few years.
Size Guide
Scale
Size B
This graphic shows the approximate size and form of the Tree you are viewing.
Size B Trees:
Grown as a single stemmed tree. Average tree size nears 12' in height with heavy caliper. One big strong guy can carry this potted tree but better with two!
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