Paper birch placement advice needed.

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I am looking to plant a paper birch tree. It's a memorial tree, so I'm really looking for the white-and-black bark. I am in zone 6b, in upstate New York, and we have pretty heavy clay soil. After reading the challenges of birch trees, I want to give this tree the best chance of survival that I can.
I'm thinking of planting it in a raised bed of topsoil, and keeping it drip-irrigated to give it the preferred full sun with shaded moist soil. I'd either plant some short foliage plants around the base, or just mulch it so there's no water competition. Does that seem like it might be helpful? I'm open to other suggestions for planting situations, or even other white-barked trees if there are any. The Renaissance Reflection looks like the best bet.

Featured Answer

wisconsitom

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

You won't like 'Whitespire' if it's a white-barked tree you're after. This cultivar is misnamed, mis-promoted, and an all-around dog. The native Betula papyrifera is the most borer-resistant of truly white-barked birch there is, period. And it is native to your area. BTW, just to close the door for good on 'Whitepsire', it is a gray birch, not the white-barked species it is touted as being.

Bronze birch borer-BBB-is a native pest of some birch species. It is attracted to stressed trees, so if you do the things you propose-keep the soil moist, plant the tree where it's head will be in the sun, you will have already provided 99% of the needed conditions for success. Good luck, paper birch is a much-maligned species in today's landscape "experts", mostly because a lot of them don't know what they are talking about.

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
planting high in bad clay is a great idea ... refer to link below ..

is birch borer in your area.. a quick call to your extension office might get a fast answer ... if so ... then you ought to look toward a borer resistant type.. like whitepsire ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=whitespire+birch&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji4uqKxa3NAhWHx4MKHXyQAXsQ_AUICSgC&biw=940&bih=745&dpr=0.9

how big a tree you thinking of planting ... the hot part of summer is usually not a great time for DIY ... unless you have a lot of experience.. and are willing to take the risk ... which gives you a lot of time to shop out a nice specimen at a nearby tree farm, for fall planting ...tag a nice one now... i would not go over 4-6 feet...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub
patricium thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
patricium
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes, waiting until fall seems like a great idea. That will give me time to get a plan and site prep done. I'm toying with the idea of covering the top of the bed with a slatted bench seat, which will keep the chickens out of the mulch. They just love to kick mulch around.

We can fit a not-quite-6" tree into our Subaru, so that is a good size. I don't much like the idea of it riding home in the back of our landscaper's truck. Thanks for the pointer to that other variety. I can't find any mention of birch borers nearby, and I do see quite a few birch plantings in the area, but I'll check with the extension.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
my whitespire grow like weeds.. and are all white ... maybe they were mislabled in the catalog i bought them from ...

ken
patricium thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
bengz6westmd
10 years ago
Paper birch should do fine and live a reasonably long time in upstate NY -- extended heat-waves there are rare and that's mostly what stresses the trees & attracts the borers.
patricium thanked bengz6westmd
arbordave (SE MI)
10 years ago
ken - as tom pointed out, Whitespire is a gray birch (a species that does have white bark), but I think the consensus would be that in general paper birch is better for white bark over the lifetime of the tree.
patricium thanked arbordave (SE MI)
bengz6westmd
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Apologies to the OP about hijacking this thread.

wisconsitom, if you're reading this, I couldn't find my previous reply to you about fir IDs in the Sharpsburg, MD Antietam national cemetery. The search function on garden web is very poor. Anywhos, looks like the below site says at least one of those firs is indeed Nordmann (as I suspected), and I'm pretty sure that was one labeled as balsam fir. Notice the adjacent Norway spruce soaring over it. Below link:

http://www.wcfb.sailorsite.net/WCFB/BigTreePhotos.html#20
patricium
Original Author
10 years ago
Okay, sounds like a plan - I will have some time to look for a nice paper birch and get a raised bed built. Then in the fall, planting and aftercare. Thanks every one for the advice!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
Whitespire is a gray birch (a species that does have white bark),

==>> well who knew ... regardless... i wasnt offended by what tom said ... and since its white.. it remains an option ... as far as i am concerned ... why plant all of one kind ... lol ...

but the borer issue remains ....

ken