Windswept Betula Pendula

[Per PF]

Pretty cool imho

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Here's a closer of the nebari (in general they don't have a massive nebari):

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[greg27]

I'm a bit jealous of all your betula photos Per. I'm a big silver birch fan but they don't tend to thrive here in Adelaide and usually grow thin and look kind of sad. They're still popular though. Mount Gambier, a town on a dormant volcano about a five hour drive away, has some impressive garden specimens though - the climate is a bit cooler and the soil much more fertile. Good wine region too!

[melbrackstone]

Is it windswept, or kidswept? Picnic areas where kids play often supply some interesting tortured specimens! Looks like a beautiful tree!

[Per PF]

Cheers Greg, I feel the same about your native species!
I guess Betulas have a special place in my heart too. I grew up on a street called “Birch man’s road” in a house literally surrounded by birches (they were planted as a fence all around the yard). It was one of the relatively few trees that could tolerate Zone 1. They were almost always very skinny though.

That’s interesting to hear about the species popularity down there and the dormant volcano part. I think birches are considered a “pioneer tree” in that they are often the first to establish in a new environment?

Nowadays that I live in Zone 7 I’m amazed at all the majestic specimens they have here in the south. I’ve seen birch -branches- here being much thicker than any -tree- in my hometown. My second favorite bonsai material is my birch - #1 being my Cassuarina
@melbrackstone It might very well be kidswept, hadn’t considered that!

[Starfox]

That is a cool tree, I recently added a young Birch to my lot.

Fingers firmly crossed though.

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[Per PF]

Nice tree, seems to be a few steps ahead already - some taper and pretty balanced foliage

[Ryceman3]

That is a cool tree, I recently added a young Birch to my lot.

Fingers firmly crossed though.

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I'm slightly concerned Starfox. From the pic you posted it appears you may have run out of Coopers!?!??

[shibui]

Birch have been frustrating for me. Lots of branch dieback but new shoots always grew from the base of any branch that died.
I have since read that pruning in winter causes branches to die so summer pruning may be advisable.

[treeman]

Birch have been frustrating for me. Lots of branch dieback but new shoots always grew from the base of any branch that died.
I have since read that pruning in winter causes branches to die so summer pruning may be advisable.

Also, consider low P, lowish N and try to make sure they have mycorrhizae by including some material from under a healthy birch. In other words they prefer poor soils but like to be wet.

[Per PF]

I have since read that pruning in winter causes branches to die so summer pruning may be advisable.

I have also read this and yet I forgot about it and reduced the trunks in winter... Here's hoping it will power on
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[LLK]

I also love birches, but never had any success growing them as bonsai. Per, your tree is charming, but why call it 'windswept' ? I'd rather go for 'leaning'. Anyway, I saw some interesting plantings in a garden and on a wide nature strip. In the garden it was a group of three, and on the nature strip there were two groups, each consisting of a birch with a robust Grevillea next to it. Then a horticulturist told me that the Grevillea with its fast-spreading roots opened the soil for the more delicate birch roots to grow; he also said that you get better results with planting birches in groups. If I ever get a young birch again, I'll try to combine it with a couple of Chinese elms. (Not Grevilleas!)

Lis=e7\d

[Per PF]

I might have been a bit off on the windswept.. Leaning, yes. I'm not on top of all the lingo yet.

That's interesting about the Grevillea and birch - over here it usually happens with spruce and birch. You can find spruces with birches growing from their root base.