Other Names:  Red Birch

Description:

A wonderful dense and compact landscape-scale birch, with interesting peeling bark in shades of brown and red; ideal size for use in a garden setting

Ornamental Features

Mike Zins Compact River Birch features subtle chartreuse catkins in early spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall. The peeling antique red bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Mike Zins Compact River Birch is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Mike Zins Compact River Birch is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Mike Zins Compact River Birch will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.