What is it you think you will gain if you remove one of the four? It will make precious little difference in the root-filled area.

I wouldn't remove one of the clump. Currently stresses are balanced, and also it allows an in for rot. They are beautiful trees and due to their sentimental value, untouchable IMO.

I'd look to see if there are other places to put garden beds. Do you have a grass strip between the sidewalk and the street that you can replace with annuals or perennials? Is there a place you can put plantings along the driveway or along the side of the garage? There are a lot of gorgeous shade plants and you could garden in the back yard shade.

I would probably post photos of the full space on the perennials forum to get ideas of where you could add beds and what plants would be appropriate for those spaces.

First I would not remove or tamper with the white tree. It brings color to the landscape in the winter when everything is dark and grey, in the fall in contrast to the fall leaves, and is there is the summer. ( I would give any thing to have that tree in my yard, except move that far north ;-)

Some suggestion for your garden.

First you said " This birch tree clump has very shallow roots which makes it difficult to grow anything."

What are you trying to grow? Flowers? bushes? etc.?

If it were my yard I would remove the plantings from the porch and sidewalk and develop these area. (Sorry if you already done this, it is hard to tell what the bushes are in the snow)

Next I would develop a bed that encompassed the two trees, and possibly comes back to the house. From the pictures it looks like you have already started the house to the white tree. But you still have the area between the two trees.

An other possibility is to use the white tree as one point on the bed and develop it back toward the house and toward the sidewalk.

What ever you do include a stepping stone path through the bed, it adds interested to the bed and provides easy access when you are working on the bed.

If I were you I would start at my local arboretum, and the landscaped buildings in your area to see what plants and flowers they are growing.

I think we need more information on what you want to plant and where. My yard had similar coverage by ash trees when I moved in. The previous owners had large well maintained hosta gardens and Iris bulbs all about.

It's certainly a matter of opinion, but large established trees have more aesthetic value than small plants and grasses. It's curious how much trees canopies are butchered to increase light for grasses and/or root crowns are damaged in the name of under plantings such as shrubs and flowers.

I would not prune the birches. The one furthest from the house has already been improperly headed back (topped), creating sporadic tip regrowth. The other looks absolutely wonderful! If anything, I'd remove the rocks around the base of each tree, which can promote moisture retention and lead to root crown health issues.

If it were my landscape, I'd do remove the rocks and incorporate shallow pots with desired shrubs or flowers. Another option would be small bulb planting 5-6' from the base of each tree, but this looks like this option would extend your current grass border. If you need something closer to the tree base but you don't prefer the look of pots, consider plants that can be grown from a seed.

These trees can be quite sensitive and any root damage, particularly within 5-6' feet from the base, just limits their lifespan.

Remove the other birch tree. It doesn't have much aesthetic value being in front of another, smaller, birch tree.

Logan, don't you have homework to do, or a forsythia to hack up or something?

Those trees are very nice and add a lot of aesthetic value to your property.

The first birch tree is almost directly in front of the other, small one (the one with EL wire/rope light on it). It blocks the view, it's in a bad spot.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions! Let me address some of your questions.

I would love to remove the older, larger birch tree Logan. But I cannot. It is a city owned tree, and there are strict bylaws in regards to removing any tree, even your own. This older birch tree suffered ice damage. There were broken limbs so the city came to remove dead branches and trimmed what they could. Now it doesn't look as attractive.

I was hoping that if one of the four trees in the clump was removed, it would allow more sun to filter through and there would be less roots.

NH Babs, I do have a long, narrow patch of grass beside my driveway. I could make a bed there (but my husband says that I must leave some grass on that strip for when he car washes! He is a car guy!) I could live with that. I do backyard gardening, but am frustrated with the maple tree roots and lack of sun. I did hope to try to find some area in my front yard that wouldn't have tree roots strangling my plants. In my backyard garden I use a lot of spin out bags. It is a lot of extra work and expense. I also container garden which is also more work.

Krnuttle, your statement "I would give any thing to have that tree in my yard, except move that far north" made me chuckle. I would send you the tree if I could! And I perfectly understand about your not wanting to come to the north!

I love hosta, but most of all, I like to see whatever I grow, thrive. That brings me great joy. I would like to add hosta, companion plants and bushes to the front garden. If I had my way, I would like to remove all of the grass from the front yard and plant it with a mixture of plants. But I am afraid that the tree roots will make it difficult to grow anything well. And I certainly don't want to have to plant with spin out bags. I like the idea of making a bed from one tree to another. Not sure if that would mean that many of the tree roots would be damaged. I do like your suggestions.

Trent, I can remove the rocks around the tree. Would bark mulch be a better choice? A few larger rocks here and there are not a problem, are they? I did not know that it was not a good idea to plant within 5 to 6 feet of the base of the birch tree. I do like your suggestion of putting shallow pots around the tree or planting seeds. I guess then that you would not recommend making a garden bed from tree to tree?

From that line and the opposite you have a point Logan. Remember there are 360 degrees to view from though.

Newhostalady, River birches may be more used to flooding than most trees but generally trees hate having the soil over their roots added tobor subtracted from. Theirbis a weird breathing factor going on we generally don't appreciate.

How is the other birch city owned? Do they own that part of your yard? If they don't own the land you have the legal right to remove it. Also, it looks like the mulch is up against the trunks.

Logan, I would like to suggest that you are likely far less familiar with the laws in Newhostalady's case than she is.

Toronado, I am aware of the dangers of adding too much soil around trunks of trees but wasn't aware that trees could suffer from some added soil or soil removed from their root system.

I wish it weren't true Logan, but the city does own a few feet of property from the sidewalk. They may agree to remove the tree, but it would come with a fee for removal and a fine. Then I would have to have another tree planted, but would have to choose from a few city approved trees.

The city tree is the one that has river rocks around its trunk.

'I was hoping that if one of the four trees in the clump was removed, it would allow more sun to filter through and there would be less roots.'

The canopy of the remaining three would quickly fill out the space and likewise the roots. I agree that the clump is very attractive as it is and your plantings could go elsewhere.

You say you have fallen in love with gardening but gardening isn't just about planting flowerbeds. It is about creating a harmonious outside space which incorporates different elements. Your birches would be a part of that harmony. Spring bulbs and other ephemerals would look lovely under the birches before they leaf out. They don't need to be in beds. They can be in clumps among the roots.

If rocks of any size are touching the root crown or buttress roots they may presents problems over an extended period of time, as the rocks retain excessive moisture. This excessive moisture is just the environment fungi, bacteria, and mold are looking for. The root crown flare should be exposed and not covered with rocks, wood mulch, plants, or anything else. The large rocks around the white birch look pretty good, but the city owned tree root crown is totally covered in a mound of rocks.

Rocks and wood mulch incorporated together would be fine. Wood mulch by itself works too. Just expose that root flare and do what you think looks best. I personally prefer wood mulch, fallen leaves and stems, as it mimics what we see naturally.

The 5-6' from the tree base is just a general guideline. The closer you get to the base of the tree, the larger and more important the root structures become. Driving a shovel near the base of the tree to create a planting hole can have consequences to the lifespan and health of the tree if large roots are cut.

If you don't want to severely shorten the lifespan of the white birch, do not cut one of the four main trunks. This will do little to reduce the size of the root system and will surely kill the whole tree sooner than later.

floral_uk, I can see that what you say makes sense about the removal of one tree and that the remaining trees would just fill in the space---both above ground and below. I understand that gardening isn't just about garden beds----it encompasses all types of plants, shrubs and trees. But you see, my problem is that I have become a hosta lover and am looking for areas to plant such. My backyard is filled with the roots of two mature Maples and one very old cedar hedge. I was hoping to find someplace to make a bed of hostas. I had developed a landscape plan last year which began at one birch tree and continued to the other but then aborted the plan as I figured the roots would be too invasive---and well, I already had that in my backyard.

Thank you Trent for explaining why the rocks around the older birch tree are not a good idea. I will look into removing them this coming season. Thank you also for educating me on the importance of tree roots the closer you get to the tree.

So I agree then that one birch tree should not be removed; the tree crown flare will be exposed and I will search for another area to create a hosta bed!

Quote " I will search for another area to create a hosta bed!"

Hosta are shade plants. Is there a reason that you can not remove the stones from around the trees and plant hosta between the roots?

Even with trees with the dense roots system, there is always space to plant something. In the wooded areas things grow in the mass of roots that develop on the forest floor.

If in planting close to your trees you can not dig a hole that is a foot in diameter, dig a smaller hole and plant a smaller hosta. They grow.

We have a shade garden in the back of our house, Since it faces directly south, the back side area at the foundation never gets sun light. Our shade garden is thriving. Along with the hosta we have many types of deep shade plants growing, some with flowers. Check with you local agricultural agent or go to a local out door botanical garden and see what you can grow in the shade among tree roots. Another place would be a local park that has been maintained in a natural environment. Another way to determine what will grow in the shade in your area is to search "Shade and deep woods Plants in Ontario" on Google

I have given considerable consideration to each suggestion made to me---and I thank you all.

Great suggestions krnuttle! I have, just now, searched google under "Shade and deep woods Plants in Ontario."

I like the idea of digging a hole and planting a perennial or placing a pot in the hole (without disturbing the roots).

I estimate it to be approximately 12 feet between the two birch trees. I do not think that that is a lot of distance between them. Also, I do not think I could make a number of plantings from tree to tree. I will just plant around the white birch tree without disturbing the roots and remove the stones from the other birch tree.

I don't see where the stones would have any adverse effect on the trees. Maybe on the Gulf Coast, but not in zone 6, Ontario, Canada.

I would leave all the trees and plant an evergreen groundcover with bulbs. A couple of inches of topsoil to help plant the groundcover and bulbs wouldn't hurt the birches.

Good point Mike. Different zones can make a difference.

I have been doing a lot of thinking. I am considering removing the grass between the two birch trees. Some evergreen groundcover with bulbs sounds nice. I hope (no, I should say, I need) to add some hostas to that bed too! I hope the tree roots will be kind to my new plants and allow whatever plants I decide on to grow well and thrive.