philgrayser

Hi guys and galls, this is my silver Birch (betula Pendula). It is about 5 yrs old and was collected from my garden. This is the first cut and wire of the year for this tree so hopefully she will fill out in the next few weeks. Cheers Phil G

Attached Images

	pic 1.jpg (96.9 KB, 38 views)
	pic 2.jpg (96.8 KB, 41 views)

Mattbonsai

Hey Phil,

I've been very tempted to try Silver Birch for a while now, but the fact that they will just drop branches at a drop of a hat, and if they get too dry, puts me off them.

But yours looks like a nice little tree, any idea where you're going to go with her style wise?

Cheers

-Matt-

__________________

philgrayser

Hi Matt hows you? I think silver birches are lovely trees and i also think that they drop their branches when the dehydrate or the soil gets too dry so ive been watering this one a lot more than usual and it seems to be liking it. I also think that they like to have lots of air mooving around their leaves and dont like to be stuffed in a sunny corner but prefere being out in the elements.
I keep this one in the middle of my garden fully exposed to the wind and rain and i think it loves it!! Birches are what is called "Pioneering" trees as in they are usually the first to colonise new ground high up in the mounains and therefore dont like crowded areas and they like loads of wind and harsh weather to grow properly, well thats my theory anyway!!

Im going to let it grow into its own style but will keep the formal upright look. Cheers Phil.