Planting a birch in the spring. Features of the use of forest birches in the landscape design of the site

Not all owners of their own plots strive to give the territory an orderly look, where a human hand is felt in the strict placement and selection of plants. Some are closer to natural landscapes, with ordinary trees from the forest, dandelions and field herbs instead of a lawn. Most often, such a landscape is left by summer residents, who got the site already with mature trees. Our people are especially indifferent to birch, because in beauty it can compete with rare foreign crops. But let's see if forest birch is always appropriate in the design of the site, and which varieties should be preferred (to avoid problems with neighbors).

For what lands are forest birches suitable?

If this tree is not yet in your dacha, but the dream of a birch near the porch has already begun to excite your heart, first of all, weigh all the pros and cons that the forest dweller will bring you.

"Dark side" of birch: features of growth

Uncultured, i.e. wild birches grow very quickly and grow to incredible sizes. Today's half-meter seedling in five years will overtake the height of the house, and in 20-25 years it can shoot up to 45 meters. Such a tapeworm is very harmonious on a large plot, where the house is large and there is enough territory. But the sight of a huge tree near a small one country house makes the structure tiny and absurd.

The birch grove is quite harmonious against the background of modern design solutions - paved paths, a pool and other small forms, if they are designed in the Russian style

In addition to size, consider the following:

1. Birch roots are located in the surface layers of the soil and spread to the sides with a radius of 6-10 meters (depending on the variety). At the same time, they are so actively sucking food out of the ground that even ordinary grass is not easy to get along with. This means that you will have to carefully consider the design under the tree and experiment with different plants until you find a “tolerant neighbor”.
2. An adult tree absorbs more than 60 liters per day in summer. water, and other ornamental crops (under it) are left with only crumbs of liquid.
3. There is a lot of garbage from birch, it often renews foliage, and weeping varieties shed even thin twigs. So it will become more difficult to maintain cleanliness in the territory.
4. If your site borders on neighbors, then an improperly planted birch can cause contention, as it casts a shadow far, blocking the light from the plants of the lower tiers. And even with 4 meters from the fence permitted by SNiP, an adult tree creates a shady spot on a much larger area.
5. Fruit trees do not coexist in close proximity to birch, so you cannot plant a garden within a radius of 10 meters.

But all these minuses can easily turn into pluses if you approach landings wisely.

Obvious advantages of birch plantings

So, it was said above that an adult tree is a powerful pump that pumps moisture out of the ground. If you are “lucky” to buy a cottage in a lowland, where in spring many places dry up until the end of May, and after the rains there is a swamp for weeks, then forest birch will be very useful for your landscape. It normalizes the level of humidity not only in the radius of the root system, but also 10 meters ahead. So in lowland areas, birch alleys are planted in the direction where the natural slope of the earth goes.

The height of the birch can play into the hands of those summer residents whose plot is located in an open area and is blown by all the winds. By planting a few trees from the north (or the side where the wind blows more often), you will protect fruit trees, grapes and ornamental crops from freezing branches, because without wind, frost is much easier to endure. Only when the birches become very large, will it be necessary to plant medium-sized varieties in the second row (maybe not birches), since the main crown will be too high and will not be able to cover the lower tier of plantings from bad weather.

Plus, fallen birch leaves are an excellent raw material for. If you knock down a box or make a compost pit, then every year you will have rich soil at hand to feed the beds and flower beds. Small twigs are also useful: they will play the role of a layer in the compost, preventing the leaves from compacting and helping air circulation.

An alley of birches planted along the fence will protect more delicate ornamental shrubs, roses from strong winds, and there will be less blowing through the windows

Fans of bath procedures will be able to cut brooms in sufficient quantities, especially since haircuts help to form a more lush crown. True, if a tree swings for 20 meters, you will not reach the branches. In the spring, the whole family will have healing juice on hand.

How to restrain the growth of a forest tree?

If the arguments "for" outweighed all the "against" - plant boldly. Moreover, it is quite possible for an inexperienced gardener to restrain the growth of a forest beauty. As a rule, small birches are brought to the site, up to a meter high, because small seedlings take root easier. Immediately decide what height will be most harmonious in your landscape.

As soon as after a year or two the birch reaches the desired height, cut off the top. So you give impetus to the growth of side branches, make the crown thicker and stop growth forever. Pruning is carried out in the summer and after leaf fall.

If a birch with several trunks has sprouted on your site, twist them together and tie them. In a couple of years, this tree will take on its original shape.

In the wild, common and weeping species are found. The second do not grow above 20 meters. But if you want to find a sapling of a weeping variety in the forest, you will hardly recognize it by appearance, since in “childhood” birch trees look almost the same. Focus on mature plants growing nearby. The wind rarely carries a different variety for a long distance.

But if you come across ordinary birch, you can turn it into a weeping man-made way. Cut off the crown, and bend the side branches, tending upward, and hang on each weight (water bottles, pieces of iron, etc.). The main thing is not to overdo it with weight. You need to start with small weights, gradually increasing their severity. Then in winter the branches will not break and there will be no frost holes.

To give the branches a certain direction, pins are driven into the ground (since the tent is fixed) and branches with weights are tied to them. For the winter, the place of contact between the rope and the branch must be wrapped with a rag so that the bark does not fray.

Trimming options for adult birch

And what to do, since the forest beauty got to you in an adult state? There are several options here: if the size of the site allows, leave it as it is, and arrange a rest area under the birch. Build a bench around the trunk, hang a hammock, or place garden furniture. In such a place you will be cool even in the heat. Under the canopy of foliage, a children's room for girls will also fit perfectly.

Cool twilight reigns under mature birches all summer, so hammocks are hung here, swings and deck chairs are set up, or a children's corner is set up.

The second option is to give the birch a more decorative look. It is used by those summer residents who plan to create a more orderly landscape, with trimmed ornamental shrubs, lawns, paths, etc. In this case, the birch can be beautifully trimmed:

1. Leave the branches only in the upper part, sawing off the top and all side branches growing below. This version of the haircut is called "under the palm tree", since in this tree all the leaves come out from one point of growth.
2. Cut off all the branches and the crown, leaving 10 cm from the thick branches on the trunk (imagine how many brooms you will tie at once!). Then, in a couple of years, the birch will be covered with a large number of young branches extending from the left stumps, and will resemble a kind of green column.

Be prepared that not every adult tree can withstand such a haircut. A birch tree can get sick for a couple of years until it goes from shock. Another disadvantage of cutting adult trunks is that the roots will instantly give growth. So the birch is insured in case of death and shoots with new "offspring". True, it is no harder to deal with them than with a shoot of plums or cherries.

To rid the site of excess shade, birch trees are completely cut off branches almost to the very top (a la palm haircut)

What plants can get along under a birch?

Since the land under the birch will be very dry, not all ornamental plants will be able to survive in such conditions. True, in the heat you still have to water (like any flower garden!).

Here is a list of crops that can get along with a forest "guest":

1. strawberries. Bring a couple of bushes from the forest and plant them right in the grass. It is much more interesting for children to pick such berries, to tear them in the garden for weeks.
2. Bulbous. These droughts are not afraid, as they bloom in early spring, when there is plenty of moisture even under birch trees. And in the summer you already dig them up.
3. ferns. Very resistant to any climate conditions plant species. They will braid the whole space under the birch if you give them free rein.
4. lilies of the valley. Like the previous plant, they cover the soil with a dense carpet, without suffering at all from shade and dryness.
5. Anemone (or anemone). It blooms all May and looks organically under a forest tree, since she herself is a native of the forest.

As you can see, most of the plants that can "make friends" with birch are forest dwellers. You can even not buy at the market, but go to the forest and “smuggling” dig up a lot of necessary sprouts there. True, it is better to do this in early spring, so that the degree of survival is maximum.

Most often, plants of the spring flowering period are planted under birch trees, since they have enough moisture to form flower stalks after winter.

Ornamental varieties suitable for small areas

If planting birch is only in the project so far, there is time to think about whether you need a wild tree. On 4-5 acres, it is worth getting by with cultivated, grafted varieties that do not grow above 3 meters, which means there will be fewer problems.

Junga belongs to dwarf birches, it is often grafted onto a trunk, so such a plant is appropriate in any territory design

Most popular in landscape design:

• Jung's variety, whose crown resembles a lush asymmetrical umbrella, beautifully falling to the ground;
• grade Gracilis, distinguished by a straight trunk and a weeping shape of branches;
• variety Long Trunk, with a dazzling white, without a single black point on the trunk, large carved leaves and a falling crown.

With proper placement and care, birch will become the main attraction in your country house and the envy of your neighbors.

Our reader asks:
We would like to create a place for recreation in the corner in the north of the site: a gazebo, birch, mountain ash, honeysuckle, juniper. How to plant birches so that their roots do not interfere with fruit trees? I read that they grow up to 20 meters in diameter?

Birch ‘Youngii’

Landscape designer Victoria Roy answers:
White-trunked birches- favorite trees for all of us. Plant a few birch trees - and now a bright birch grove beckons you to relax in an openwork shade. White slender trunks, graceful branches swaying from the slightest breeze, a slight rustle of leaves evoke a feeling of joy, detachment from everyday problems.

However, I advise planting birches in the area approach carefully and consider every detail in advance, with the expectation of many years. We plant them, as a rule, with thin defenseless twigs, so graceful and harmless. For a quick effect, people try to plant them bigger and thicker, forgetting that in a few years they will turn into huge powerful trees from 15 to 30m high and with a crown diameter of up to 8m or more, especially if the plant is located in a sunny open place. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon birches in your area, but in order to avoid problems in the future, I advise you to follow some simple rules.

First, according to the regulations, it is necessary to observe the minimum distances:
- from the walls of the building to the tree trunk - at least 5 meters
- from - 3 meters
- from underground utilities (gas pipeline, sewerage, heating systems, pipeline, cables, water supply, drainage) - 3 meters
- from the border of the site to the trunks of tall trees - 3 - 4 meters.

Planted on the north side of the plot birches will not shade your garden or vegetable garden. But will the neighbors like it? After all, large trees can greatly obscure their plantings. Taking into account the growth of the tree in breadth, I recommend controlling the distance between the trees themselves not by eye, but with a tape measure and maintaining at least 3-4 m.

Secondly, I remind you that birch pollen is one of the strongest allergens, so plant a birch near the house or places of rest you need in view of this circumstance.

It is not at all necessary to plant only the usual species (from nature) warty birch on the site, you can plant its more compact varieties or other species. There are about a hundred species in the birch genus, and in local nurseries you can be offered low-growing birch varieties, for example, Betula pendula‘Tristis’ with a smooth non-blackening trunk and a pyramidal, strongly weeping crown, beautiful even without foliage.

The ‘Youngii’ birch is very popular – a tree up to 7-8 m high with weeping branches to the ground and bright green leaves. This low-growing, dome-like birch features a flaky white trunk that is a sight to behold all year round. Birch varieties with openwork, deeply dissected leaves are very beautiful, for example, ‘Lanciniata’, ‘Gracillis’, ‘Crispa’.

On sale there are also white-trunk varieties of birches, and withcolored stems. Very beautiful paper birch ( Betula papyrifera) is an American species, its trunk is even whiter andleaves are larger (up to 10 cm). Japanese varietyflat-leaved birch (synonym - Japanese birch - Betula platyphylla var. japonica, Betula japonica) hascream or pinkish bark. Himalayan is popularJacquemont birch - a variety of useful birch ( Betula jaquemontii, Betula utilis var. jaquemontii) with as ifbandaged white bark.

The Erman birch, or stone birch, is also beautiful ( Betula ermanii), its trunk is covered with exfoliating grayish or creamy hatched bark, its varieties can be both pure white and colored - in brown, orange and cream tones. The leaves are quite large, with clearveins, earrings protruding.

If you like original plants, then to the groupordinary birches, you can plant a variety with purple foliage,for example, 'Royal Frost' - with a more accurate weepingcrown. Birch variety ‘Purpurea’ with purple leaves,especially bright in spring and dirty in autumn, canproduce green shoots. Known yeta number of varieties with red foliage - ‘Purple Rain’ (Monte),‘Purple Splendor’, ‘Scarlet Glory’.

White-barreled birches look great in landing withothers - lindens, bird cherry,rowan, . Plants can be planted in the undergrowth,which will emphasize and complement the whiteness of the trunks, for example,mahonia holly ( Mahonia aquifolium), white sod‘Elegantissima’ and ‘Sibirica Variegata’ ( Cornus alba), mountain ashberry ( Sorbaria sorbifolia), cotoneastershiny ( Cotoneaster lucidus), mock orange(Philadelphus coronarius), barberry Thunberg ( Berberis thunbergii), vesicle Kalinolistny ( Physocarpus opulifolius), Cossack juniper ( Juniperus sabina).

More on this topic:

Birch, having a superficial root system, activelytakes water from the soil. However, with adequate irrigationits openwork shade can grow perennial flowers and, especially and decorative foliage.

As for landing fruit trees next to birches, then they should be placed no closer than 5-6m. Competition atsufficient watering and fertilizing (remember the tropicala forest where huge trees grow literally close to each other),most likely it will be in the light. fruitful forcrop maturation needs a lot of open sun. Thatthe fact that birches will grow from the northhand, in this case just fine. At the same time theycreate a windbreak.

Birch is a very stable, unpretentious tree andrequires minimal sanitary and shaping pruning.Late autumn or late winter - very early spring (beforebeginning of spring sap flow) remove all broken,diseased or crossed branches. When landing, adda large amount of mature compost and strengthen the treeusing stretch marks.

We dug out pines and birches from the forest.
It's about birches. Usually there is a mother tree, roots go in different directions from it and "children" grow on them. The root system is shallow, but wide. It is better to take children who are further from the mother, more independent. We dig with a lump about a meter per meter. Better after rain. We prepare a pit for planting in advance, also a meter per meter, pour root or ash into it. And water the young tree often.
Pine is better to take a small one, half a meter. Her roots are the opposite - they go deep and there is the main thickest one. It is desirable to keep it as much as possible. Well, also water the entire first season. Our pines for the first 2 years were stunted and turned yellow. And then they went up very quickly.
Maple and oak took root easily. I don’t know the subtleties - my husband dug it out. I also really liked the chestnuts. We have 4 of them.
I can't comment on the design. We have trees along the fence (on both sides), along the paths, around the gazebo and at the porch to the house. 02.02.2008 23:14:04, myrcha

Thanks a lot for your answer. Can I have a couple more questions? How can you dig roots 1x1 m - do you have to dig a trench around a tree, go deep a meter and then dig under a tree? Pine trees must be yellow and stunted in the first years? Somehow I dragged one half-meter pine tree at the dacha, it also withered and turned yellow - I thought that it didn’t take root and pulled it out :(. And what height of birch, maple, mountain ash, oak is better to dig up? It is clear that the smaller the better But I want to still have a "decent" seedling. Regarding the chestnut - they bought one in OBI, see 50 somewhere, how to care for it? How fast they grow, is it necessary to cover for the winter - nevertheless Is it true that birches absorb a lot of moisture and everything grows poorly next to them, and they can be planted in a lowland where water stands in spring? 02/03/2008 22:54:02, natka20067

1. Yes, we did. After the rain, together with her husband, two shovels and a large bag, they went into the woods. Birch was chosen approximately 1.50-1.60. They dug a trench around it. And then they hooked - and the whole lump in the bag. Hardly a meter deep, half a meter is enough.
2. I don’t know, maybe if you dig it out in early spring or autumn (while they are in hibernation), then maybe they won’t get so sick. We did it in the summer. If only the needles are yellow, then the tree is alive. When it dies, both the branches and the trunk will dry up. So in vain you pulled out yours - you probably would have taken root.
3. In addition to pine, we dug out all the trees at about 1.50. Pine less. She has a very deep root system, a large one simply cannot be dug out with shovels IMHO.
4. Chestnuts, like everything else - we just water in the heat (in the evening). They grow very slowly. We don't hide.
5. We have no lowlands. Willow (or willow) is planted in ravines. I don't know about birches. We have flowers next to them. And boletus mushrooms))) 02/04/2008 00:31:29, myrcha

In landscape design, today, the most decorative and unpretentious types of trees are most often grown. The drooping and warty birch, more than 30 m high, has proven itself well. The species has drooping branches and smooth white bark, which can darken and crack with age. Its popular variety, Karelian birch, is a pinkish-brown wood with an unusual sinuous texture. Popular decorative shapes:

• "Tristis", which has a weeping crown;
• "Gracilis", which has hanging branches and narrow dissected leaves;
• 'Dalecarlica' and 'Laciniata' with graceful and highly ornamental foliage;
• "Fastigiata", which has an elongated ovoid or columnar crown;
• "Joungii" with small foliage and a compact umbrella-shaped crown;
• 'Purpurea' with dark red or brownish foliage.

No less popular birches in home gardening:

• unpretentious and frost-resistant species "Fluffy" with a white trunk almost to the base and an elongated-outstretched crown;
• shade-tolerant species "Far Eastern ribbed" with yellowish bark;
• shade-tolerant look "Woolly" with grayish bark;
• view "Daurskaya" with dark brown bark;
• type "Manchurian" with grayish-brown bark;
• view of "Schmidt" for rocky slopes;
• light-brown view of "Erman".

Recently, winter-hardy American birches have been grown especially often, which can have reddish-brown or light cream birch bark and highly decorative foliage.

Varieties of birches (video)

Rules for the care of decorative birch

How and where to plant a tree

You can plant a tree both in spring and autumn. It is best to allocate places for planting that have a slight shading, which reduces the evaporation of moisture from the soil. The planting hole should correspond in size to the diameter of the root system. The root neck should be placed at the same level with the ground. Slightly acidic and rather loose soils with the addition of a small amount of humus are ideal. It is best to plant a plant on a cloudy day or in the evening.

Technology and methods of pruning birch

Proper pruning allows you to give the birch an attractive appearance. You need to cut a birch based on what goals are pursued:

• the formation of the aerial part so that it does not grow up or has an unusual crown shape;
• sanitary pruning;
• reduction in crown height or size.

It is very important to know how many percent of the crown can be cut at the same time, as well as which branch must be removed. When pruning, use only clean garden tools. At the same time, no more than 20-25% of the total crown volume can be removed.

In recent years, decorative pruning of adult trees has been increasingly practiced, which is somewhat more difficult to tolerate by the plant, but allows you to make a weeping birch or get a really very interesting shape. In this case, it is sometimes necessary to completely remove the top and all branches at a distance of 10 cm from the thick stem. It must be remembered that it is impossible to form a crown in the late autumn period.

Watering and feeding

Subject to the technology of soil preparation and the rules for planting a tree, experts do not recommend getting involved in top dressing in the first two years. Immediately after planting, you need to pay attention to the condition of the soil and enough water the seedling abundantly until it is fully rooted. A good result in the first month is given by artificial shading of the aerial part with the help of burlap or a special mesh.

If there is a decrease in the decorative effect of the tree or yellowing and falling of the foliage associated with soil depletion, then competent top dressing should be performed. Most often, for this purpose, solutions based on urea, diluted at the rate of 30 g per bucket of water or mullein, diluted at the rate of 2 kg per 10-12 liters of water, are used. The plant responds very well to feeding with ammonium nitrate, which must first be diluted at the rate of 30 g per bucket of warm water.

Protection against diseases and pests

How to plant a birch (video)

How to plant a birch from the forest

Before transplanting, you need to prepare in advance:

• bayonet shovel;
• a strong wooden peg one and a half meters high;
• bucket;
• polyethylene film;
• synthetic twine and rope;
• clay and humus;
• water;
• complete complex fertilizer.

Standard pits are prepared for planting with an average size of 60x60x60 cm, and a mixture based on high-quality humus, garden soil and fertilizers is poured to a third of the depth. From the stem part of the selected seedling, it is required to retreat about a third of a meter and dig the ground to the depth of a shovel bayonet. The root system of the extracted seedling is placed on polyethylene and transported to the planting site. Before planting, the root system is dipped in a clay mash and placed in a prepared planting hole spilled with water. Further planting technology is similar to planting any other plants.

What can be planted next to birches

Instead of lawn grass under the trees, it is recommended to plant undersized berries. Many gardeners successfully grow shade-tolerant and drought-resistant varieties of small-fruited remontant strawberries in the crown projection. Also, some ornamental crops have proven themselves well, from which attractive compositions are created:

• any flowering and decorative leafy small-bulbous;
• on sandy soils - May lily of the valley, veronica, pharmacy initial letter, forest geranium, round-leaved wintergreen and sochevnik;
• on clay soil - ivy-like budra, oak and forest anemone, chickweed, greenfinch, liverwort, amazing violet, Haller's corydalis, shield fern and fragrant woodruff.

The creation of proper care allows you to grow other, no less attractive plants in glades with birches.

Glade and other decor options with birches in the country

Very interesting compositions in the country can be created from birches and conifers. For this purpose, it is best to use crops belonging to the sections Albae, Costata, Acuminatae and Nanae. Dwarf birches are also used to create alpine slides or Scandinavian decor, which is very popular in our country.

If you have to cut down an adult plant on the site, then the remaining stumps can be used to create garden benches and benches or decorate in a folk style. Among other things, the backyard territory can be decorated with unique crafts or unusual garden decor items made from birch bark. This handmade is very well combined with almost any style and will be a great addition to garden figurines, sculptural compositions, as well as other small architectural forms.

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