Birch Ideas, Tips & Guides

Many trees can take a while to establish, so if you’re impatient, need an area to look good in a hurry, want some fast growing privacy trees, or are creating a garden from scratch, you might want to choose a fast-growing tree or two.

Almost every house has a foundation planting, something that should help the large, man-made structure somehow blend with the natural landscape it was dropped into. More often than not, the foundation planting is done by the builder, who adds a line of common, usually evergreen shrubs to make things seem not so out of place in the hope that the buyer will be much happier with the property. The plantings are often bland and not in scale with the house. Even worse, these humdrum plantings are often ignored until they become so large that making changes is more of a job than one is willing to take on.

Planting a tree takes a lot of thought. We may have to consider if we want a tree that is:

ACER CAPILLIPES Young bark striated with white; young growths coral red, leaves turning crimson in autumn. A. davidii, young bark shiny green, striated with white; leaves usually turn yellow and purple in autumn. Long chains of keys striking. A. griseum, paper bark maple, the outer bark peeling in papery flakes to show the copper-colored inner bark; opening leaves bronze colored, turning red or orange in autumn. A. grosseri, A. g. hersii, young bark green or yellowish striated with white, leaves orange and crimson in autumn. A. pennsylvanicum, moosewood, young bark green striped and patterned with white, the large leaves pinkish on opening turning clear in autumn. A. rufinerve, bark green, with an elaborate pattern of greyish markings, persisting on old trunks; leaves red when young and usually crimson in autumn, when the long chains of keys are attractive.

February is a good time to finish any winter projects before the growing season starts in earnest. There are still a few weeks left to complete any winter pruning and get bare-rooted trees in the ground while plants remain dormant. Vegetable beds can be prepared this month and snowdrops divided once they come to the end of their flowering period. Inside the house, start chitting potatoes and sowing chilli seeds to give plants a long growing season.

Our 2-for-1 Gardens are filled with interest all year round, even in winter. Join us this month and use your 2-for-1 Gardens entry card to experience the stillness and beauty of deep winter.

Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a deciduous tree with a slender shape and graceful appearance, which has given rise to its lovely name of the ‘lady of the woods’. Silver birch trees look attractive year-round with white bark, spring catkins and yellow autumn leaf colour. The catkins and seeds are popular with wildlife such as bees and birds, while several species of moth lay eggs on birch leaves.

You may not intend to prune your trees yourself.

No surprise here: Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to snag deals on bedding, furniture, home appliances, and so much more. While the steepest discounts tend to come on Black Friday, Friday, November 24, we've already found great deals happening now from retailers like Amazon, Brooklinen, Buffy, Shark, and more.

Welcome the holidays without completely compromising your space to all things red, white, and green. We asked minimalist interior designers for their best tips on subtly decorating your home for the holidays so you can create holiday cheer without overdoing it.

Wayfair’s Way Day sale has arrived with so many amazing deals that you don’t want to miss out on. Furniture, bedding, bath towels, kitchen appliances, mattresses, and area rugs are up to 81 percent off during the sale. You really can’t beat these discounts, but you’ll have to hurry to snag them because Way Day only lasts from October 25 to October 26.

Trees With Smooth Gray Bark—these fascinating specimens promise a blend of aesthetic charm and ecological value. Read on to uncover the top species that you must make a part of your garden!

It’s a tentative start. We crack open wet soil, slot the roots of a small birch tree into the gap and firm it in. The blessings of Mother Earth on you, little tree. The birch is a bare slip of a thing barely anchored in the ground. One down, 23,999 to go.

From the vivid crimson of the Northern Cardinal to the russet hues of the Red-shouldered Hawk, these birds are a feast for the eyes. If you’re an avid birdwatcher or simply someone who appreciates the rich tapestry of nature, you won’t want to miss this captivating guide that delves into the lives, habitats, and stunning visuals of the most radiant Red Birds of Texas!

There can’t be a more iconic symbol of Halloween than a witch riding a broomstick. In olden times it wouldn’t have been a problem to wander out into the woodland and cut a stout pole and then find sticks to make the sweeping end, and then you’d have yourself a fine broom, or besom. I suspect most of them were used for more mundane purposes – they are jolly useful things to have to hand.

Everywhere I go lately, I seem to be tripping over the idea of allelopathy. The amaranths in the picture above might look like pretty, harmless and useful plants – but they’re hiding a darker secret. During our class field trip to the Eden Project in December I discovered that they produce chemicals that can inhibit the growth of other plants nearby. This is allelopathy – chemical warfare that gives plants a competitive edge over their neighbours.

Autumn slowly settles in and the pretty flower gardens lose most of their charm. However, every cloud has a silver lining, which means it’s time to admire the pretty autumn foliage that trees offer. Did you know that the ancient Celtic druids used to worship trees?

The name Hornbeam derives from ‘hard tree’ a reference to the property of the extremely tough wood.

Silver Birch look the part on a cold and frosty morning. The white or silvery trunk looks good singly or when grouped together.

A common site in many town gardens are trees that have outgrown their space. Large native trees like Oaks, Copper Beach, Planes, Weeping Willow and horse chestnuts are wonderful, but to be really enjoyed they need suitable space, like in a park. If they are planted in the garden they will

The Himalayan Birch (Betula) Jacquemontii has attractive bright white bark and dark green leaves