Maybe. You didn't give your location, possibly Florida? My Southern Living Tree book, says that the original grows 40 to 70 feet, spreads 40 to 60 feet, and should be 20 ft from the house. However, this article from them says there are smaller cultivars. Do you know the name of your cultivar? Since you were working with a local expert you should be okay. Why don't you ask?

River Birch

Betula Nigra

• Zones US, MS, LS, CS; USDA 6-9.
• Native to eastern U.S. Very fast growth in first years; eventually reaches 5090 feet tall, 4060 feet wide.
• Trunk often forks near ground, but tree can be trained to a single stem.
• Young bark is apricot to pinkish, very smooth, and shiny; on older trees, bark flakes and curls in cinnamon-brown to blackish sheets.
• Diamond-shaped leaves, 13 inches long, are bright, glossy green above, silvery below.
• This is the best birch for hot, humid climates.
• Not a good choice near decks and porches; drops leaves sporadically all summer.
• Tolerates poor drainage.
• Cully ('Heritage') is resistant to bronze birch borer and has darker leaves and tan-and-apricot bark; keeps apricot color longer than the species.
• 'Dura-Heat' is more compact and heat tolerant than the species.
• Summer Cascade is the first weeping birch that resists birch borer; grows 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide.

this is how i gaze into a tree crystal ball.. note i found and used the latin name .. or greek or whatever .. the proper name:

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=Betula+nigra&iax=images&ia=images

big city name will help with answers ...

ive see a lot worse ... like 3 feet from the corner of the house .... but in looking closely at the pix.. you might be stretching to about 15 feet from the actual house.. if you dont count the stairs and deck as actual house .. we usually worry about overhanging trees killing you in your sleep during a bad storm ... but hey.. if youre out on the deck during a sharknado ... well.. thats on you ...

any idea what is the usual wind direction in summer and winter .. in other words.. from which direction do storms come from???

see if you can get a cultivar name from your seller ... or if its just straight species???

i see the hose to it ... water deeply.. and infrequently ... let it near dry in between waterings .... insert finger or use a small hand trowel.. to FIND OUT about moisture at 3 to 6 inches... in your soil.. in your location.. with your weather ... drowning it.. can be as bad or even worse.. than not enough water ... teach yourself how to do it ...

ken

Thanks for the comments. I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am working with the the business that planted it, and will get the cultivar. Just wanted to get some other opinions, as I was not convinced of their expertise after doing some of my own research.

Thanks for the watering tips also.

We planted ours even closer to the deck and loved it. You can trim it if needed. I like the treehouse feeling it gives our deck.

You look like you are plenty far from the house foundation. That is what you go by not the deck.

Sadly, in addition to dropping leaves, it drops small branches continually. Lovely tree but I wouldn't plant it again.

My neighbor, who owns a two story home, has a River Birch located as far from his house as yours is located. The tree towers above his home. It is HUGE! And it constantly self prunes, dropping small twigs and leaves over his yard and ours. I love trees. But I hate that tree with a passion. His gutters are constantly clogged by its leaves and he always trying to prune the overhanging branches off of his roof and away from his front upstairs windows. This can be a beautiful tree when planted as a specimen where it can be appreciated. But I would never plant one this close to a house.

Yeah I would say it's too messy to be that close. And it gets very large, especially if it gets enough water.

If you have just the species and not a cultivar then it is almost certainly too close to the deck and house. They are large trees. I have one and not only is mine getting ever wider with age but as the older branches continue to grow they get heavier and have more of a weeping habit rather than the upright growth of the new/younger branches. I have my tree limbed up to around 10 feet or so high but the branch tips are just a few feet away from the ground. It gives a very nice screening effect. And yes, mine does drop twigs throughout the year but I don't find it annoying. I use them to start fires.

Rodney

Thanks for all the comments. I contacted the planter and it's not a cultivar, its just the species. I'll likely be swapping it out for a tree with a smaller mature spread.

No surprise there - it does not look dwarf-growing in your photos.

A river birch in Seattle (USDA 8) had an average crown spread of 62 1/2' ca. 2005.

River Birches LOVE water.... I suggest that you move it down towards the end of your property closer to the water. It will make a lovely backdrop and lots of shade when it grows (fast and furiously!) to its full height. Keep it! Just move it!

I may move it, but the whole idea for this tree was to eventually provide some privacy between mine and my neighbors deck. So if I move it, I'd still need a smaller tree to go in it's place. Any suggestions for a new tree would be appreciated.

Where is the neighbor's deck. Can you take a picture that includes both? And since it will overhang your deck, look for a much less messy tree. Talk about this factor with your nurseryman.

What are your ideal dimensions for a tree for that space given what you want it to do? From the pictures shown with that long staircase it appears you need height with less width.

People across the street have 3 clumps of river birch around the house and after ever good thunderstorm its a twiggy mess on the ground. Ok tree over lawns and landscaping, not the best over driveways, patios, decks etc.

As many have mentioned this tree species drops lots of little branches even as a juvenile tree.

Multi Stemmed Serviceberry (and so many others) would have been a better choice.

River Birch is one of the fastest growing trees in MN and WI.

Nurseries love to sell the hell out of them.

I'd be shocked if they planted a dwarf cultivar but highly doubtful based on its current size.

They came back out and offered to replace it with a Whitespire Birch. They said the Whitespire should be smaller (20-25' mature spread) and work better for my location and purpose. Any thoughts on whether I should keep the River Birch or swap it out for a Whitespire Birch?

Whitespire will probably have less spread. These white bark birches like cool moist soil and have the best longevity on those sites. So eastern or northern exposure or where a structure shades the ground. They are susceptible to drought stress which in turn makes them more susceptible to bronze birch borer.

Ask them if it’s Senior or not. I’d they don’t know or know what you’re talking about them avoid it. Even if it was Senior I still wouldn’t plant it but maybe ok if you truly have cooler summers and ample moisture.

I love my River Birch tree. It’s closer to my house than yours and we prune it every year to keep it under control. The birds and squires love it and it’s shade is very refreshing. Mine is in Georgia so cool shade is important.

We have a ginormous mature river birch up here in our yard in Maine and it’s gorgeous, but aside from issues of placement etc, I’d fear as it grows it may not give you the screening you require for your first floor deck — ours has three main trunks and branches out at maybe 15-20 feet and gives privacy to our second and third stories but not the first (!). It’s a gorgous, mobile tree, perhaps best down closer to your waterfront?

My parents in the upper Midwest just put in a thornless locust in a similar position next to their patio, with vey similar desires for privacy and lacy shade — you might take a look at that species?

edit: argh, didn’t check date on original post, sorry. got houzzed!