Is A Paper Birch Tree Right For Your Yard?
When you look around your neighborhood, do you mostly see pine, maple, and oak trees? If you're thinking of adding a tree to your yard, why not go with something more unique? The paper birch is a unique species of tree that's sure to stand out among the pines, oaks, and maples. It has white bark that seems to peel off in sheets. Here are three signs a paper birch is the right choice for you.
Your yard has plenty of moisture.
In nature, you often see birch trees growing along the banks of rivers and next to ditches. If you have a ditch, pond, or stream in your yard, then it's probably the perfect spot for a birch tree. But even if you don't have any body of water, a birch tree can grow successfully as long as your yard stays moist. If your yard is always dry, however, a birch will struggle.
Your yard is not overly sunny.
All plants, including trees, need some sunlight to thrive. But birch trees are one of the few types of trees that actually do better when they have some shade. The ideal spot for a birch gets sun either in the afternoon or morning, but is shady throughout the rest of the day. You could plant the birch tree under the canopy of some other trees or next to a building—areas where other kinds of trees would not get enough sunshine.
You don't mind cleaning up catkins.
Each spring, the tree sheds what is known as catkins—which are little casings that hold the tree's seeds. These can make quite a mess of your yard, and you'll want to clean them up quickly, as they can attract insects and fungi to the area. If cleaning up catkins seems like too much work for you, then a birch tree may not be the best choice. Similarly, if the tree will be placed along the border of your property, you'll want to make sure these falling catkins don't bother your neighbor.
Birch trees grow pretty quickly, and though they require pruning to maintain their shape when they are young, they only require the occasional trimming after that to remove dead and damaged branches. To learn more about the paper birch and its benefits, speak with an arborist at a company like Phoenix Tree Service in your area. They should also be able to provide you with a sapling to start in your yard.