Tree - Silver Birch
I have always loved silver birch but couldn't find any in garden centres. Then I noticed that a silver birch tree on the way to the supermarket had seeds on the tree. Normally you must not collect seeds from wild trees, but I thought it acceptable in this case. It was not a wild tree, but planted. As it was a tree, it had many, many seeds every year, over a long life span, so removing a few wouldn't affect its propagation. Also I don't think the maintainers of the path would want the tree to propagate at all!
I sowed the seeds just to see if any would germinate. Several did, so I planted them outside, and promptly lost them! (This sounds odd, but weeds grew up around them and hid them, and next time I looked, I couldn't find any plants.) Finally one seedling did manage to make itself knowm, and I transplanted it to its current place. It was supposed to replace the elder, but I seem to have both now.
Apart from the raising from seed, the only other work that I have done on it was to cut off the lower branches, as it got taller, to encourage it to grow up rather than sideways, which it seems to have done.
It's a lovely tree, especially in the autumn, when the leaves turn yellow. The trunk can catch the sunlight as well. There are catkins, but smaller than the hazel.
Click on photos for large version.
© Jo Edkins 2021 - Return to Garden index