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sweet birch | Plant Finder | Fill My Garden

Home/Plants/Trees

Plants > Trees

sweet birch

Betula lenta

Fragrant

Genus: Betula
Family: Betulaceae
Common Names: black birch, cherry birch, mahogany birch, mountain mahogany, wintergreen

About this plant

Aconical tree, to 15m tall, with dark-red bark that becomes dark-grey with age. Aromatic shoots produce yellow-green leaves, to 10cm long, that turn yellow in autumn. Yellow-brown male catkins, to 8cm long, appear in early spring

Growing Information

Height

Higher Than 12 Metres

Spread

Wider Than 8 Metres

Hardiness

Foliage

Deciduous

Growing Conditions

Sunlight

Full SunPartial Shade

Soil

ClayChalkLoamSandy

Acid

Not Currently Available

This plant is not currently stocked at any garden centres on our platform.

Alkaline

Neutral

Moisture

Poorly DrainedWell Drained

Aspect

East FacingWest FacingSouth Facing

Exposure

ShelteredExposed

Care Guide

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Tolerant of a range of soil conditions from dry to wet but does prefer sheltered woodland conditions

Pruning

Pruning group 1; birches bleed heavily, prune only when fully dormant from late summer to before mid-winter

Propagation

Propagate by seed, softwood cuttings or grafting

Pests

Sawflies, aphids and leaf miners may be a problem

Diseases

May be affected by a powdery mildews, a rust or honey fungus

Garden Uses

Uses

Flower BordersGround CoverBanks Slopes

Season of Interest

SpringSummerAutumnWinter

Size & Characteristics

Height

Higher Than 12 Metres

Spread

Wider Than 8 Metres

Habit

Bushy

Time to Full Height

Fifty To Hundred Years