The Heat Resistant River Birch
Saturday July 21, 2007
River birch - 100 Top Trees In Dr. Mike Dirr's book Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Dr. Dirr suggests you plant a river birch for both beauty and hardiness. River birch is "perhaps the most heat resistant of all trees in North America" says Dr. Dirr and "this particular birch is even more spectacular without the leaves."
Betula nigra will weather the heat of summer just fine and grows from Massachusetts to Florida, west to Minnesota and Kansas. The tree can get leaf spot during extremely wet weather and will drop their leaves during severe drought. However, these conditions are completely survivable and should not influence your decision to plant an otherwise, perfect tree.
Photo by Steve Nix, Licensed to About.com
Comments
I can’t believe you’re recommending a river birch. We just moved from Florida to Tennessee and have one river birch in our front yard. It is the messiest tree I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t matter..winter, summer, spring and fall, there’s always either tassels, small branche or big brances falling off this tree. Someone please come take it out of our yard!!!!!
I have several river birch trees in my yard and the Japanese Beetles love them!
river birch is one thing to look at its another thing to live with………. if its far enough away from the front door or the pool its a nice enough tree, otherwise ~ yep its a year long mess.
I’ve lived with one of these for 12 years. Oodles of sticks and branches down all of the time, tassles that clog the gutters, and dropping leaves whenever it gets thirsty. Fast growing, good looking, heat resistant, and a royal pain to own!
I’m an engineer and I had one of my landscape architects design my landscape plan for our new home I built in 1990. He designed for two large river birch trees to be located in the front of my house as bookends next to the main walk to the front of the house. The trees are about 19 years old now and when I planted my materials I purchased large stock so we could enjoy the plant material quicker. I must say I hate the two trees very much. They are very dirty trees. Everytime it is windy branches fall and there all over. The branches are small and thin so they brake easily. Also, the seeds fall making a mess, covering the walks, driveway, and grassed areas, They get so think they kills the grass so you have to rake the seeds up. In addition, the seeds cover the mulch beds making the beds look messy. River birch also become stressed when it becomes a little dry and drops many of it’s leaves during the summer. I would never recommend river birch trees to anyone unless the trees are located in an area where no walks, driveways or areas where you wnat a nice lawn.
I agree with all of those above. I’m currently getting quotes to pull out the 20 year old River birch by the front walk. It’s absolutely the messiest tree I’ve ever encountered. Leaves drop througout the summer (looks like “fall” by the front door) and the twigs, OH THE TWIGS! The slightest breeze and limbs/twigs break off. Do yourself a favor and do not plant one of these, at least not near anything you care to keep looking clean/nice.