Sweet Birch is a fast-growing tree that makes a great addition to the local canopy with consistent golden, yellow color in the fall. The blooms of this plant are also quite interesting, adding a troupe of dancing yellow catkins to windy, late winter days. And if you need a little refreshment while you are near your birch, the sap of this tree produces a cool, sweet flavor (this plant can be used for the production of wintergreen oil).
In our hot dry summers, this plant can become stressed. If possible, give it a location where the roots can be kept cool and moist in the summer - for instance a low spot on a north or east facing slope.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist, acidic, well drained soils
Size: 60’-70’ tall (though often shorter in cultivation); 30’-40’ wide
Zone: 3 - 8
Wildlife Value: Larval host for up to 381 species of butterflies and moths including the Mourning Cloak, Duskywing butterflies and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; seeds of this plant are eaten by birds and small mammals
Photo: Doug McGrady