River Birch

River Birch (Betula nigra) is the birch to plant where other birches sulk. It reaches about 12m tall and 7m wide, grows faster than most shade trees, and its real feature is the bark: cinnamon and salmon coloured sheets that peel from a young age. Unlike silver birch it handles both heat and ground that stays wet after rain.

Why you'll love it

• Bark that carries the winter. The papery, curling bark starts peeling on young trunks, so you are not waiting twenty years for the effect.
• Wet ground is an advantage, not a problem. This one grows on riverbanks and copes with slow draining clay.
• Fast shade, clear gold in autumn. A quick, open canopy cools a lawn through summer, turns clean butter yellow, then drops and lets the winter sun through.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One tree near a path or a window, where the bark can be seen close up, does more than three planted out of reach.

Damp ground and heavy clay. Use it where the garden stays soggy for days, along a swale, or beside a dam.

Groves, screening and driveways. Plant 4m apart. Three or five read as a small woodland and screen a neighbouring outlook. The same spacing suits a driveway line.

Growing River Birch in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with full sun giving the strongest autumn colour. This is a tree for cool temperate and warm temperate gardens: Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, most of New South Wales and the Adelaide region. It is frost hardy, but in tropical and subtropical gardens it will not get the winter it needs.

Soil. Happiest in deep soil that stays moist, and slightly acidic ground suits it best. Mulch 75mm deep out to the drip line and keep it off the trunk.

Water and feed. This is not a drought tree. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers and keep water up to it in dry spells, or the leaves brown and drop early. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Take out crossing or damaged wood in late summer or early autumn. Birches bleed sap heavily from late winter and spring cuts, so avoid pruning then.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: 200mm pots sold as a pack of six, then 300mm, 400mm and 45L. The 200mm packs are the value option for a grove or a driveway line. The larger sizes arrive with a formed trunk and the bark character already beginning. Delivered between late autumn and early spring the tree will be bare, which is normal for a deciduous species and not a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse other deciduous trees for autumn colour
• See the full range of trees
• How to prepare heavy or wet ground for planting

Common questions

Can it be kept smaller by pruning?

Not for long. It is a fast grower heading for about 12m tall and 7m wide, so regular cutting back will not hold it at half that size. Give it the room from the start and keep pruning to crossing or damaged wood in late summer or early autumn.

How close to the house or the drains can I plant it?

Keep it at least 6m from a house, and well away from sewer lines, stormwater pipes and septic trenches. The roots actively seek moisture, so an old drain with a weeping joint will find them long before you do.

Should I choose a single trunk or a multi stemmed tree?

Multi stemmed gives you more bark at eye level and a wider, softer outline, which suits a feature position. A single trunk is better for a driveway or anywhere you need clearance underneath.